Ectopic Pregnancy

What is the Cause?
Causes of tubal pregnancy are unknown. Some speculative associations are smoking, prior tubal damage and advanced maternal age. It seems there is a connection to women who have had a hysterectomy. It also can affect people with infertility problems or that use medication that stimulate ovulation.

There are some birth control methods that can make you at risk. Becoming pregnant while using progesterone-only oral contraceptives, progesterone intrauterine devices (IUD), the morning after pill, you have a higher risk. Multiple sex partners also put you at a higher risk.

What are the symptoms?
This complication shows up as a clinical presentation at around 7 weeks after the last menstrual period.
Here are some early ectopic pregnancy symptoms to look for:
~ Lower abdomen pain and inflammation
~ Pain when urinating
~ Vaginal bleeding (mild).

Since ectopic or tubal pregnancy is known to be a pregnancy that is failing, failing levels of progesterone from the corpus luteum on the ovary will cause withdrawal bleeding. Sometimes can be confused with implantation bleeding or bleeding from a possible miscarriage. ~ Pain when having a bowel movement.
Late symptoms of ectopic pregnancy:
Typically, late cases have pain and bleeding vaginally as well as internal.
It has two discrete pathophysiologic mechanisms.
~ External bleeding due to the falling progesterone levels.
~ Internal bleeding due to bleeding from the affected tube.

Severe Internal bleeding can cause:
~ Abdominal, lower back, or pelvic pain.
~ Shoulder pain.
~ Cramping or tenderness on one side of the pelvis.
~ Pain tends to get worse.
~ These pregnancies can mimic other diseases such as appendicitis and other gastrointestinal disorders, urinary issues and Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).

Diagnosis:
If you have abdominal pain, in the hospital one of the tests they will give is a urine pregnancy test. If positive, next, you will probably be given an hCG test to measure the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). HCG is produced by the placenta and shows up in the blood and urine as early as 8-10 days afer conception. Levels in the beginning of pregnancy double every two days. If levels are low, you may be told that there may be a chance that you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. You may have an ultrasound to see if there is in fact a developing fetus. A pelvic exam may also be done to check for an enlarged, pregnant uterus.

Treatment:
Treatment varies and depends on different situations such as the location and size of the pregnancy, also how medically stable the woman is.

An early case may be treated with an injection of methotrexate to stop the growth of the embryo. In a case where the pregnancy is further along, surgery may be needed for removal of the abmormal pregnancy. Once treatment is given, your doctor may want to see your regularly and test your hCG levels. After ectopic pregnancy hCG levels must return to zero. If levels are elevated after some weeks, this can mean that some of the ectopic tissue was left behind. Tissue may have to be removed by additional surgery or by administering methotrexate.

Future Pregnancies:
Some women will experience difficulty becoming pregnant again. Pregnancy difficulty is more common in women who have a history of fertility problems. The likelihood of repeat tubal pregnancy increases with each ectopic pregnancy you have had. You have a 15% chance of having another once experiencing one.

Click here to return to Miscarriage


Learn about other types of Miscarriage

Chemical Pregnancy

Blighted Ovum

Molar Pregnancy


Learn about Progesterone In Pregnancy


Return from Ectopic Pregnancy Back to Pregnancy-Prep-101.com Homepage