The very news of pregnancy makes a woman happy. Motherhood brings completeness in a woman. This is the phase of life during which she needs to constantly focus on her health conditions. Healthy diet, exercises and medical checkups from time to time are always required at this stage. Pregnancy can have different complications which can pose a threat to the expecting mother and her child. Ectopic pregnancy is one such complication or an abnormal pregnancy in which the pregnancy occurs outside the womb (uterus). The baby does not survive and often doesn't develop at all. It is important to realize that an ectopic pregnancy can never lead to the growth of a normal baby. Furthermore, the embryo cannot be transplanted into the uterus. The word "Ectopic" means 'out of place'. The fertilized egg gets planted outside the uterus. The egg settles in the fallopian tubes in more than 95% of ectopic pregnancies. This is why ectopic pregnancies are commonly called as "tubal pregnancies." The egg can also implant in the ovary, abdomen or the cervix and this is the reason why these pregnancies are also referred to as cervical or abdominal pregnancies.
The abdomen, cervix or the ovary do not provide adequate space for the baby to grow and will also lack in terms of nutrition for the baby. As the fetus grows, the organ in which the egg was fertilized will burst. This can damage the mother's womb, causing heavy or severe bleeding. That is the reason why ectopic pregnancies do not result in the successful delivery of a baby.
Symptoms of Ectopic Pregnancy
- The first warning sign is vaginal bleeding or pain.
- Pain in your pelvis, abdomen or in extreme cases, even in your shoulder or neck (if blood from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy builds up and irritates certain nerves).
- Amenorrhea i.e. the absence of menstrual bleeding in a woman of reproductive age.
- Breast tenderness
- Lower back pain
- Mild cramping on one side of the pelvis
- Nausea
- Pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic area
- vaginal spotting
- dizziness or fainting (caused by blood loss)
- low blood pressure (also caused by blood loss)
Causes of Ectopic Pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy is often caused by a condition that blocks or slows the movement of a fertilized egg through the fallopian tube to the uterus. This may be caused by a physical blockage in the tube by hormonal factors and by other factors, such as smoking. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can be caused by gonorrhea or Chlamydia, is a common cause of blockage of the fallopian tube. Some cases of ectopic pregnancies result due to:
- Birth defects of the fallopian tubes
- Complications of aruptured appendix
- Endometriosis (the growth of endonmetrial-like cells in other parts of the body resulting in pain and irregular bleeding)
- Scarring caused by previous pelvic surgery.
Heavy smoking and a history of sexually transmitted disease (SID) are the main factors of ectopic pregnancy, according to results of a population based study conducted in central France. Among women in one region, those who had smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day had four times the odds of having an ectopic pregnancy in comparison to those who had never smoked; those who had had an STD and confirmed pelvic inflammatory disease were three times more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy compared to those with no STD history.
Treatment for Ectopic Pregnancy
- If case of early ectopic pregnancy, the embryo can be removed by injecting a drug called Methotrexate.
- If the pregnancy has reached an advanced stage, surgery will be recommended. Laparoscopy is a less invasive surgical procedure. The surgeon makes small incisions in the lower abdomen and then inserts a tiny video camera and instruments through these incisions. The image from the camera is shown on a screen in the operating room, allowing the surgeon to see what's going on inside the woman's body without having to make large incisions. The embryo is then surgically removed and the damaged organs are repaired or removed.
- The doctor will recommend regular checkups till the hCG level returns to zero. This may take several weeks. An elevated hCG level will indicate the presence of an ectopic tissue. This tissue may have to be removed using methotrexate or additional surgery.
When do You Need to Call Your Doctor?
If you believe that you are at a risk of ectopic pregnancy, immediately call your doctor and discuss the options in terms of what can be done to prevent or treat it.
- You and your doctor should plan on checking your hormone levels or scheduling an early ultrasound to ensure that your pregnancy is developing normally.
- Call your doctor immediately if you're pregnant and experiencing any pain, bleeding, or other symptoms of ectopic pregnancy.
If an ectopic pregnancy is caught and treated at an early stage, the results are encouraging. If the fallopian tube has not ruptured and is saved, the chance for a future normal pregnancy is 50 percent, with a 15 percent chance of a repeat tubal pregnancy. Some women who have had ectopic pregnancies may have difficulty becoming pregnant again. This difficulty is more common in women who also had fertility problems before the ectopic pregnancy.
