Ectopic Pregnancy

Ectopic is a Greek word which means "outside a place." An ectopic pregnancy is outside the usual place for a pregnancy. The usual place of a pregnancy is inside the uterus, while an ectopic pregnancy is not inside the uterus but somewhere else like the fallopian tube, the ovary, the cervix, or the abdominal cavity.

When fertilization of the mature egg occurs, the natural pregnancy process is supposed to lead the egg to the uterus for implantation. The uterus is made with a blood rich endometrial lining that offers the newly fertilized egg the blood supply it needs to begin and maintain the growth process. When the fertilized egg implants in any tissue other than the uterine lining, the resulting pregnancy is called a tubal or ectopic pregnancy.

The term “tubal” is associated with the most common point of stray implantation. The egg that implants as it moves down the fallopian tube is the source of the “tubal” name. The fertilized egg however can implant in the cervix, ovaries or the abdomen.

Once the egg has implanted outside of the blood rich uterus, the egg will immediately begin searching for an appropriate blood source for growth. This search can cause severe damage to the area of implantation that will continue to occur as long as the egg is allowed to maintain growth.

The Fallopian Tube Pregnancy
With 98%  of all ectopic pregnancies occurring as fallopian tube pregnancies, the symptoms will most often show physical signs and symptoms of pain within the first 5 to 7 weeks after implantation. The earliest symptoms of ectopic pregnancies may include:

• Lower abdomen pain.
• Vaginal spotting
• Lower stomach cramping.
• Inflammation of the lower abdomen.
• Painful urination.
• Mild vaginal bleeding.
• Pain during bowel movement.

If the pregnancy is maintained past the first few weeks more severe symptoms may occur. These symptoms may include:

• Severe bleeding from the vagina.
• Lower abdominal pan
• Internal bleeding from the eruption of a fallopian tube.

Once the pregnancy has reached the stage where internal bleeding is occurring, the life of the mother is in jeopardy. Severe lower back pain, severe bleeding, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, pain of the shoulder area, and severe cramping. These late stage symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of other abdominal problems such as appendicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease.

When to See a Doctor About Possible Ectopic Pregnancy
If you previously had an ectopic pregnancy and you get pregnant again then you have a 20-fold risk of getting another ectopic prenancy. That's why it';s important to let your doctor know right away whn you find out you are pregnant again to ensure you get followed very closely.

There are no clear diagnostic tests to determine that a pregnancy is indeed an ectopic pregnancy. The first few weeks of pregnancy, for mothers who find out they are pregnant very early after fertilization, will occur as normal. After the 5^th week, the mother-to-be may begin showing some of the early signs and symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy. Most often, however, the symptoms are so very mild that they are often attributed to normal pregnancy changes.

Diagnosing an ectopic or tubal pregnancy often occurs after the mother-to-be reports significant abdominal pain and an ultrasound is performed verifying the fertilized egg has indeed implanted in the fallopian tube or other part of the abdominal wall.

Nearly 100% of all tubal pregnancies will need to be terminated in order to save the life of the mother. After a tubal pregnancy, the mother should be able to conceive again without any further trouble.