Ectopic Pregnancy

Introduction

An ectopic pregnancy, also known as a “tubal” pregnancy, can be defined as the condition in which a fertilized egg is implanted outside of the uterus. Amazingly, this condition occurs in one out of fifty pregnancies. Unluckily, all ectopic pregnancies are treated with the termination of the pregnancy as the only remedy.

The procedure that happens in a normal pregnancy is that a fertilized egg or ovum makes its way down to reproductive organ called as the Fallopian tubes and then to the uterus, the place where an egg will locate for the next nine months. The hazardous situation occurs when the fallopian tubes are blocked or there is some impediment in the tubes. If the tubes are damaged in that way and the egg cannot make it through, then the condition occurs called as ectopic pregnancy. A rarer type of ectopic pregnancy occurs when an ovum or an egg is seated in the rare organs such as ovary, cervix, abdomen or c-section scar. Rarer happening is something called heterotopic pregnancy. This is the condition of the woman, who has experienced normal pregnancy and an ectopic pregnancy simultaneously. The situation is more likely to occur in the woman who has undergone different fertility treatments.

Causes for Ectopic Pregnancy

The woman who had a tubal ligation, surgery on the Fallopian tubes, pelvic or abdominal surgery or removal of ovarian cysts or fibroids are at higher risk for developing an ectopic

If a woman is using an intrauterine device (IUD) that prevents conception, it can also raise her risk of an ectopic pregnancy. The damage that has occurred due to the Fallopian tubes from an infection of reproductive tract, which is caused by pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can also put you on risk for getting ectopic pregnancy. There some other risk factors for ectopic pregnancy such as age, smoking and the frequently using douches.

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy are noticeable at sixth or seventh week of pregnancy. That is when symptoms of pregnancy generally start tough some of the symptoms can be detected as early as on fourth week. Ectopic pregnancies need not always affect home pregnancy tests and therefore, the complications alert a pregnant woman about a problem.

The most common symptom that is seen in ectopic pregnancy case is abdominal pain or tenderness, which typically occurs on one side/flanks, but often non-localized. Moreover, there can be vaginal bleeding or spotting, as well severe pain while passing them in bathroom or the pain can become severe even by simple coughing. Pain in the both shoulders can also present and can be considered as signal a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, especially if the pain becomes unbearable when a pregnant woman lies down.

Management of Ectopic Pregnancy

Unfortunately, as fertilized egg cannot be transplanted into the uterus (the real seat of an ovum) once implanted outside of it, the ectopic pregnancy should be terminated as early as it is detected to prevent life threatening conditions. If the pregnancy is not since the longer period and the embryo is still little in size, there is a drug called methotrexate that is injected into the pregnant woman to terminate the ectopic pregnancy. This stops the growth of an embryo, and it is reabsorbed into the pregnant woman’s body. However, there can be side effects of this treatment such as cramping, bleeding, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

If the pregnancy has developed further, or if the pregnant woman is breastfeeding or has internal bleeding, surgery can be the only option as a treatment. One of the latest techniques called as a laparoscopic surgery, in which the embryo is removed through a small cut or hole in the naval, in an attempt to save the Fallopian tube. In some of the cases, if there is profuse bleeding or a drastic damage, the tube are to be removed by the surgery. This procedure must require general anesthesia and about a week to come back to normal state or in other words recovery.

If a pregnant woman has extensive scar tissue present in the abdomen or in case that the fetus has, grown larger, abdominal surgery is performed, in which the abdomen is opened and the fetus is removed. This is major surgery and therefore, it requires long time to heal.

The good hope is that women who had experienced ectopic pregnancies may have fair chances of developing the normal pregnancies in future — nearly 85-90%. It is very well understood that if there is damage, your gynecologist will monitor these types of subsequent pregnancies very closely. Since an ectopic pregnancy falls under the category of physical and emotional loss, those pregnant women who are experiencing this condition should seek the emotional motivation.