An ectopic pregnancy is an extremely dangerous obstetric condition that threatens the fertility as well as the life of the pregnant woman. Recognizing ectopic pregnancy symptoms for timely examination and treatment is the best way to protect the health of the mother.
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What is an ectopic pregnancy?
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that does not implant in the uterus but is located outside. Possible implantation sites for ectopic pregnancy include:
The fetus is located in the fallopian tube. This is the most common cause of ectopic pregnancy (95% of cases).
The fetus is located in the ovaries, cervix, abdominal cavity, and fallopian tubes.
An ectopic pregnancy is not protected by the uterus. A ruptured gestational sac will cause massive bleeding into the abdomen, endangering the mother’s life.
The cause of ectopic pregnancy is an infection of the fallopian tubes, pelvic inflammatory disease or a defect in the fallopian tubes, or narrowing of the fallopian tubes. Women with ovarian cysts who have had an abortion, and who have sexually transmitted diseases have a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy than the general population.
What are the signs of an ectopic pregnancy?
Ectopic pregnancy also has the same symptoms as a normal pregnant woman such as missed period, abdominal pain, nausea, and breast tenderness. However, in some signs, there are unusual warning signs. usually, you need to pay attention.
Signs of an ectopic pregnancy include:
Missed period: A missed period is a sign that any pregnant woman has. However, many women with ectopic pregnancy often have irregular periods, some months are early, and some months are late, so it is difficult to recognize this sign.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding: If you notice a little bit of pink blood on your underwear, but not during your period, you may be pregnant. However, in an ectopic pregnancy, this bleeding is prolonged, and the blood is dark red. There are only a few cases of ectopic pregnancy without any signs of abnormal bleeding.
Many women mistake this bleeding for menstruation, especially when bleeding coincides with menstruation. It is necessary to carefully distinguish whether the color of the blood, the amount of bleeding, the thickness, and the consistency of the blood are different from those of previous menstrual periods.
Abdominal pain: When you have an ectopic pregnancy, you will experience abdominal pain at the site of the implantation and lower abdominal pain. Many people also experience abdominal pain that resembles constipation. Abdominal pain persists dull ache, and sometimes severe pain with vaginal bleeding. The severity of abdominal pain will gradually increase over time as the ectopic pregnancy develops.
In case of rupture of the gestational sac, you will feel severe abdominal pain, continuous cramping pain, shoulder pain, sweating, weak limbs, dizziness, dizziness, shortness of breath, and even fainting. Therefore, when you see signs of an ectopic pregnancy, you need to go to the hospital immediately for the doctor to check and conduct treatment.
If left for a long time, the fetus grows bigger and bigger, the ruptured gestational sac will cause the color to overflow the abdomen, potentially causing infertility, and endangering the life of the mother.
Pregnancy test strips work based on the concentration of the hormone HCG in the urine, regardless of where the gestational sac implants. It is only necessary to become pregnant that a woman’s urine already contains this hormone. Therefore, the ectopic pregnancy test is still up 2 lines.
However, the level of the hormone HCG in women with an ectopic pregnancy will show signs of decreasing. So in the case of an ectopic pregnancy, the second line will appear faint when taking a pregnancy test.
As soon as women know they are pregnant, women need to go for an ultrasound to check if the pregnancy has entered the uterus or not. In case the pregnancy week is not enough for the pregnancy to enter the uterus, the doctor will make an appointment for you to check in 1-2 weeks. If the doctor suspects an ectopic pregnancy, the doctor will perform a transvaginal ultrasound to locate the gestational sac. In addition, you can also detect the pregnancy status through laparoscopy and measure the level of HCG in the blood.
Risk of ectopic pregnancy and how to prevent it
Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy include:
- History of ectopic pregnancy
- History of tubal surgery, previous abdominal, and pelvic surgery
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Other factors that can increase a woman’s risk of ectopic pregnancy:
- Smoke
- Age over 35 years old
- Infertility
- Reproductive measures
How to treat ectopic pregnancy:
An ectopic pregnancy that cannot move or is moved to the uterus, there are basic methods of treatment:
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Monitor the natural progression of ectopic pregnancy
Final thought
Not all ectopic pregnancies require surgery. If detected early, the fetal mass has not broken, small in size, the doctor will prescribe an injection to help the fetus dissolve. If the fetus is large (usually over 3cm) it will be a laparoscopic or open surgery. The choice of treatment method depends on each individual case. Pregnant women need to see a doctor to be examined under the supervision of a doctor.
To avoid having an ectopic pregnancy, you should have a pre-pregnancy screening. This helps you know your health status, promptly treat and prevent the risk of diseases if any, supplement the necessary nutrients, and create the best conditions for the fetus to develop right from the time of birth.
Preparing for pregnancy helps to identify genetic-related risk factors, especially in cases where the parents are suffering from obstetric and gynecological diseases, chronic diseases, have been pregnant, or have given birth to a malformed child.
Top News hopes this article can help you learn more about ectopic pregnancy symptoms and wishes you all the best!
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