Ectopic Pregnancy: Causes, Signs and Treatment

What is Ectopic Pregnancy?

Usually, fertilization happens in the fallopian tube, followed by the egg entering the uterine cavity, which has enough space for fetal development.

Nonetheless, there are cases when the egg doesn’t reach the uterine cavity, so it adheres to the walls outside it.

Ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy that develops outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube.

Since it isn’t suitable for embryonic development outside the uterus, the chorionic villi penetrate the organ’s tissue and damage it, causing internal bleeding.

Ectopic pregnancy is common to some extent since it happens in 1 pregnancy out of 150 to 200 pregnancies.

Causes of Ectopic Pregnancy

There’s no particular cause of ectopic pregnancy, but there are several risk factors for ectopic pregnancy such as pelvic diseases, pelvic surgery, induction of ovulation, history of ectopic pregnancy, or problem with the fallopian tube.

Signs of Ectopic Pregnancy

In the early stages, an ectopic pregnancy is not different from a normal pregnancy that develops in the womb and may include symptoms such as nausea, sleepiness, increased appetite, enlargement, and tenderness of the mammary glands.

Adverse symptoms of ectopic symptoms usually start on the 3rd to 8th week after your last menstrual period.

The severe signs of ectopic pregnancy at 6 weeks may include the following

• Cramps in the lower abdomen on one side, and, in case of internal bleeding the pain can irradiate to the anus, epigastric region, and shoulders.
• Abdominal pain, which intensifies during bowel movements and coughing
• Bleeding or brown discharge
• Shock
• A large loss of blood can lead to loss of consciousness, pallor of the skin, cold sweat, decreased blood pressure, and frequent weak pulse.

How to Treat Ectopic Pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy treatment has three goals

1. To eliminate the embryo
2. To eliminate the risk to the mother
3. To keep the mother’s ability t have children

Diagnosis of Ectopic Pregnancy

Early diagnosis and modern medicine techniques make it possible to achieve these three goals.

It’s not difficult to detect an ectopic pregnancy by ultrasound when there are symptoms of shock, a positive pregnancy test, the absence of the egg in the uterus, and a large amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

In other cases, the diagnostic procedure is based on the level of the hCG hormone in the mother’s blood.

Ectopic Pregnancy Surgery

Treatment includes surgery or chemotherapy

Surgery is necessary in emergency cases with signs of internal bleeding. The procedure is called a laparoscopy.

A small incision is made in the navel for a laparoscope (a tiny microscope for the doctor to look inside).

Another incision is made in the lower abdomen for the surgical instruments to reach the fallopian tube.

This method s effective as it shortens the recovery time and hospital stay.

The chemotherapy is useful in the early stages, it terminates the development and resorbs the ovum.

FAQs about Ectopic Pregnancy

Can an Ectopic pregnancy move to the uterus on its own?

Unless a miracle would occur, ectopic pregnancy can not move to the uterus as it’s already attached to the wall of the fallopian tube.

Can ectopic pregnancy happen for no reason?

There are risk factors for ectopic pregnancy such as too much smoking before conception of pregnancy, stress hormones, it affect the quality of eggs and defects to the fallopian tube.

What can you do to prevent Ectopic pregnancy?

Reducing the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and other risk factors is the only way to prevent an ectopic pregnancy. Also note that sperm does not cause ectopic pregnancy, but a poor egg can be a risk factor.

Ectopic pregnancy and Miscarriage?

Ectopic pregnancy pain can be severe, especially in the lower abdomen, worse than miscarriage.

While ectopic pregnancy can not become normal and move to the uterus on its own, it can, however, go away naturally in form of miscarriage.

Is ectopic Pregnancy considered Miscarriage?

Since ectopic pregnancy can not survive without medical intervention, it just gets terminated when there’s not enough blood, oxygen, and nutrient supply.

However, ectopic pregnancy is not the same as a miscarriage. In some cases, ectopic pregnancy can lead to miscarriage.

Life after Ectopic surgery?

Ectopic pregnancy surgery usually takes 1 hour or less, and the woman is expected to wait at least 6 months before trying to conceive again.

After the surgery, you should also reduce physical activities, and avoid exercise and any other thing that can cause strain on the incision.

While you lose a baby in ectopic pregnancy, you can get pregnant again after ectopic pregnancy and surgery.