Until now, ectopic pregnancy was a rather rare occurrence, but every year women began to encounter it more and more often. An ectopic pregnancy is a rather dangerous condition for a woman’s life, and therefore requires urgent medical intervention. An ectopic pregnancy is characterized by the fixation of a fertilized egg in one of the fallopian tubes, on the ovaries or other organs of the abdominal cavity.
The most common ectopic pregnancy (98% of cases) is tubal.
Causes of an ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when one of the fallopian tubes is damaged and cannot enter the uterus, as a result of which it is forced to gain a foothold in the fallopian tubes or elsewhere. An ectopic pregnancy can occur in a perfectly healthy woman, so scientists argue that the passage of a fertilized egg depends, among other things, on its quality. With the acceleration of the division process, implantation can occur in the fallopian tube. Among all cases of pregnancy, the ectopic takes one place in two hundred .
An ectopic pregnancy develops, most often, after suffering inflammatory diseases of the genital organs, after abortion, and also after suffering gonorrhea. Also, an ectopic pregnancy can appear in a woman with underdevelopment of the genitals against a background of hormonal insufficiency or with external movement of the egg, in which a fertilized egg from the ovary of one side enters the tube of the opposite side.
Ectopic pregnancy symptoms
An ectopic pregnancy is manifested by a delay in the menstrual cycle, a positive pregnancy test and the absence of a fetal egg in the uterus on ultrasound. In addition, it can manifest itself as pain in the lower abdomen, smearing bleeding from the vagina, loss of consciousness. During an ectopic pregnancy, a woman may also be accompanied by other symptoms:
- engorgement of the mammary glands;
- cramping pain localized in the rectum, clavicle, interscapular region;
- lack of appetite;
- change in taste.
Diagnostics of the ectopic pregnancy
Most often, a woman turns to a gynecologist with complaints of delayed menstruation, spotting or bleeding, as well as various pains. The doctor conducts a gynecological examination, recommends a pregnancy test, and also directs the patient for an ultrasound examination.
Ultrasound almost always shows an ectopic pregnancy, however, for its complete confirmation, it is necessary to determine the level of gonadotropin for a week every two days. Upon confirmation of the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment.
Elimination of ectopic pregnancy
If a rupture of the fallopian tubes is suspected, the doctor prescribes an emergency operation for the patient to stop bleeding. If the fallopian tubes or ovaries are damaged, they must be removed. In some cases, in the early stages of an ectopic pregnancy and in the absence of a rupture of the fallopian tubes, laparoscopy can be dispensed with , during which only the embryo is removed through a small incision in the fallopian tube.
If the fallopian tube has not ruptured, your doctor may use drugs to terminate the pregnancy.
After the ectopic pregnancy is treated, the patient needs to undergo additional blood tests so that the doctor can make sure that the embryo is completely removed. A blood test determines the level of hCG, a hormone produced during pregnancy.