Ectopic pregnancies are pregnancies that occur outside of the uterus. At the beginning of a normal pregnancy, a fertilised egg implants in the wall of the uterus. The uterus is made to hold a growing foetus, where it can comfortably live inside the mother’s body until delivery. During an ectopic pregnancy, a fertilised egg implants in a structure outside of the uterus. Eggs are fertilised in the fallopian tubes. From there, they should travel into the uterus. If an ectopic pregnancy occurs, the fertilised egg implanted before making it to the uterus.
Most often, ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries and the uterus. Other less common places for an ectopic pregnancy to take place include the abdomen and the ovaries, where eggs are produced. No ectopic pregnancy can be carried to term. Ectopic pregnancies in the fallopian tubes are particularly dangerous due to the risk of the fallopian tubes bursting as the foetus grows. However, an ectopic pregnancy can be life-threatening no matter where it’s located.
Common symptoms of ectopic pregnancy include:
Common symptoms of the fallopian tubes bursting include:
If a fallopian tube bursts, a woman may feel sudden, sharp pain in the lower abdomen. This is a life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention. The similarity between the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy and a normal pregnancy is another reason that early detection of pregnancy is so important. As soon as a woman knows she is pregnant, she should see her obstetrician for identification of any complications.
While ectopic pregnancies can occur without an obvious cause, they are typically caused by a condition that slows down the movement of the egg from the fallopian tube to the uterus. These causes can include inflammation or scar tissue in the fallopian tubes, damage from a sexually transmitted infection (STI), a growth in the fallopian tube, or the presence of abnormally shaped fallopian tubes.
There are a lot of risk factors that can contribute to the likelihood of an ectopic pregnancy. These include:
If a woman has a positive pregnancy test and also has an intrauterine device (IUD) in place or has her tubes tied (tubal ligation), she should contact her doctor right away to address the potential of ectopic pregnancy.
Most women are not aware they have an ectopic pregnancy until their first prenatal appointment. During a prenatal appointment, a doctor will diagnose the pregnancy as ectopic. Bloodwork, urine tests, and an ultrasound are all normal parts of confirming a healthy pregnancy. They can also confirm an ectopic pregnancy.
Your doctor may suspect an ectopic pregnancy if levels of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (HCG) are lower than normal. HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy and levels rise significantly once the fertilised egg has implanted into the uterus. However, if HCG levels are lower than they should be, this could indicate an ectopic pregnancy. An ultrasound will confirm this.
Complications of ectopic pregnancy include life-threatening bleeding, organ injury, and even death. Only the uterus is meant to stretch to accommodate a growing foetus. If an ectopic pregnancy goes untreated, the place the foetus has implanted will be injured and possibly burst as the foetus grows into it, causing severe internal bleeding.
There are two options for treatment of an ectopic pregnancy – methotrexate and surgery. Methotrexate is a medication that stops the fertilised egg from growing and is used when the fallopian tubes have not burst. Surgery is performed if the fallopian tubes have burst or are at risk of bursting. There is no way to prevent an ectopic pregnancy, although following good lifestyle habits is helpful. Most women who have ectopic pregnancies successfully get pregnant in the future.