Ectopic pregnancy
symptoms, signs of ectopic pregnancy - pregnancy & infertility information
What is ectopic pregnancy ?
The word “ectopic” means out of pace. An ectopic pregnancy is one, which occurs outside the womb in several places like the ovary, the abdomen, the cervix, but the most common place is in the fallopian tubes.
There are certain factors, which are known to increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy such as – advancing age, tubal surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovulation induction, previous ectopic pregnancy termination, a previous ectopic pregnancy and IVF (test tube baby).
An ectopic pregnancy can be reliably diagnosed through a vaginal ultrasound in about 4.5 – 5 weeks onwards. A scan can also show an ectopic pregnancy clearly in the tube next to the womb. The sensitive urinary ELISA test is another form to help identify an ectopic pregnancy.
There are various treatments once an ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed. There is however no possibility of taking the pregnancy from the tube and putting it into the womb. Treatment through a drug known as methotrexate is injected and allows the ectopic pregnancy to shrink away by stopping the division of cells. It is the least invasive form and only a few can be treated in this manner. The other form of treatment includes - Laparoscopic surgery where it may be possible to either open the tube or remove the pregnancy or the tube altogether depending on each patient. Since persistent ectopic tissue can occur in 5 – 10% of patients, a follow-up with blood test for hCG will be required. Another treatment is open surgery (laprotomy)
which involves a 5cm incision at the top of the pubic hairline where either the pregnancy (salpingotomy) or the tube (slapingectomy) is removed.
Ectopic pregnancy has been found to be the leading cause of first trimester maternal deaths. However, deaths from ectopic pregnancy are rare due to early detection. The sooner an abnormal pregnancy is diagnosed; it increases the survival chances of the mother.
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