Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy in the early stages
Extrauterine (ectopic) pregnancy is a pathology in which the fertilized egg is attached and develops outside the uterus. About one in 80 pregnancies is ectopic. The causes of ectopic pregnancy are not always known.
Risk factors include:
- previous ectopic pregnancy;
- experienced inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs;
- operations on fallopian tubes;
- surgical interventions on abdominal organs;
- endometriosis.
Higher risk of ectopic pregnancy exists in women older than 35 years.
Does the test show an ectopic pregnancy
Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy in the early stages may be absent. Its symptoms are often mistaken for other pathologies, such as indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, or appendicitis.
Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy:
- vaginal bleeding, which differs from menstrual bleeding in color;
- pains during ectopic pregnancy are concentrated in the abdomen (more often only on one side);
- diarrhea, vomiting;
- pain during defecation;
- dizziness, weakness.
Does the test show an ectopic pregnancy? Yes, it shows. Therefore, if there are "two stripes" in a woman's stomach, blood is released from the vagina, you should immediately consult a doctor. There are no monthly periods in case of ectopic pregnancy, but smears may be observed.
Ectopic pregnancy is most often tubal, when the fertilized egg does not reach the uterine cavity, but is attached to the wall of the fallopian tube. In rare cases, pregnancy develops in another "illegal" place: ovaries, abdominal cavity.HCl in ectopic pregnancy
How to determine an ectopic pregnancy? Her diagnosis includes:
- anamnesis study;
- ultrasound scanning. Signs of an ectopic pregnancy on ultrasound - the absence of a fertilized egg in the uterine cavity (for a period of 4.5-5 weeks);
- pregnancy test (urine or blood test);
- laparoscopy.
When an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood is determined dynamically. The informativeness of hCG research in ectopic pregnancy is 97%. With this pathology, the hCG titer rises slowly and does not correspond to the term of pregnancy. It is important to know that the analysis does not always allow you to reliably distinguish an ectopic pregnancy from a complicated uterine pregnancy.
If an ectopic pregnancy is detected at an early stage, methotrexate injections are sometimes used to terminate it. After the injection, the hCG level continues to be monitored, and if it remains high, the drug is re-injected.
Consequences of ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy can end in a tubal abortion - a termination of pregnancy in which the fertilized egg is released into the abdominal cavity. A tubal abortion can last for several days. A woman is worried about a cramp-like pain in the lower abdomen, which radiates under the ribs, to the shoulder, and to the rectum. During the attack, dizziness, nausea, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea are observed. Bloody discharge from the genital tract appears later. Treatment of tubal abortion is surgical.
The consequences of an ectopic pregnancy can be even more severe. Rupture of the fallopian tube usually occurs acutely, accompanied by a pronounced clinical picture: severe pain, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness. Some patients experience hemorrhagic shock due to heavy bleeding when the fallopian tube ruptures.
Operation for ectopic pregnancy can be organ-sparing - salpingotomy, when the fertilized egg is removed while preserving the fallopian tube, and radical - salpingectomy, when the fallopian tube is removed. In case of early diagnosis of a developing tubal pregnancy, an organ-sparing operation is performed, which prevents the rupture of the fallopian tube. Read more about the methods of operations for ectopic pregnancy on our website Dobrobut.com.
After laparoscopic surgery, the patient is discharged home after 1-2 days, after laparotomy - usually after 5-10. It is important to monitor the level of hCG every week after the operation to make sure that the fragments of the fertilized egg have been removed completely.
Women who underwent surgery due to ectopic pregnancy are prescribed combined oral contraceptives (to stabilize the menstrual cycle and protect against pregnancy for 6 months after the operation).
Pregnancy after ectopic pregnancy
Chances for a normal pregnancy remain even after salpingectomy, because the fallopian tubes are a paired organ. About two-thirds of women are able to get pregnant again. The probability of repeated ectopic pregnancy is from 7 to 15 percent. Everything depends on the results of the treatment and the condition of the preserved fallopian tube.
Normal pregnancy after an ectopic pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby depend on the history of the ectopic pregnancy. A randomized trial conducted in 2013 found that the number of normal pregnancies 2 years after treatment for ectopic pregnancy was approximately 64% in women who underwent radical surgery and 70% in those who underwent organ-sparing surgery.
Related services:
Ultrasound examination
Obstetrician-gynecologist consultation during pregnancy
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