Facts About Ectopic Pregnancy

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In a majority of ectopic pregnancy cases, the embryo gets implanted in the fallopian tubes; however, in a few cases, the embryo may also grow in the ovary, abdomen or cervix.

When the fertilized egg gets rooted at the exterior of a woman's uterus, then this kind of a pregnancy is known as an ectopic pregnancy, and in this article we are going to discuss 10 facts about ectopic pregnancy.

This is quite a critical condition and with each passing day of pregnancy, it can cause ache, bleeding and burst, which can result in a breakdown and in exceptional cases, even death.

The most general causes for an ectopic pregnancy are:

Earlier appendicitis
Pelvic infection (earlier)
Infertility
Damaged fallopian tube that causes blockage, which prevents the eggs to enter the uterus
Caesarean section

Apart from the above-mentioned causes, there may be various unknown causes as well that can remain unknown forever.

Following are the 10 important facts about ectopic pregnancy:

1. Out of 100 pregnancy cases, there is at least one case that is bound to be affected with ectopic pregnancy. Moreover, the most distressing fact is that every year 40-50 women expire from the ectopic pregnancy condition in the US alone.

2. In the year 2001, as per the collected facts, one of the main issues of maternal deaths was inferior care and unsuccessful diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.

3. In the UK every year, above 20,000 women are admitted to the hospital due to the ectopic pregnancy condition. However, if the diagnosis is not done properly, it can lead to more serious consequences such as infertility, which can result from a wrong surgical treatment. This issue needs to be addressed.

4. About 95 percent of ectopic pregnancies happen inside the fallopian tubes, whereas about 1.5 percent takes place in the abdomen, 0.5 percent occurs in the ovary as well as 0.03 percent occurs in cervix.

5. Since the year 1970, a large fall has been noticed in the death rate due to ectopic pregnancy. This means there have been improvements in the diagnosis of the same.

6. Any woman who has reached the childbearing age must be examined for the ectopic pregnancy condition if any of the symptoms of the same take place. Therefore, it is very essential for you to be aware of the signs, symptoms and risk factors involved with ectopic pregnancy.

7. The main symptoms of the ectopic pregnancy are abnormal bleeding, abdominal pain, bowel problems, feeling of light-headedness, fainting or collapsing.

8. If you have any of the above-mentioned symptoms and you suspect that you might be affected with ectopic pregnancy, you must head off to the hospital. Thereafter an ultrasound and pregnancy test must be performed. If your test comes out to be positive and the ultrasound reveals a vacant uterus, then you probably have an ectopic pregnancy that needs to be excluded.

9. After a positive pregnancy and ultrasound report, you have to go through a succession of blood tests in every 48 hours, in order to check the beta-HCG level. Another option is to undergo laparoscopy.

10. If an early diagnosis has been done, prior to the rupture of the tube, a drug treatment or keyhole surgery can be performed. This will help you to heal soon and also increase your chances to conceive in future.

If you are diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy, it is very essential to terminate it with surgical or drug treatment.

Usually, the drug treatment is a better option because it can lower the risks that result from a surgery. However, in a few cases, surgery is also required besides medical treatment.

After the termination of your ectopic pregnancy, you must wait for a minimum 6 months to try and conceive again.