Ectopic pregnancy

A normal pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants inside the uterus for its future development. However, in a ectopic pregnancy normally the ovum stays atnested inside the fallopian tube and it does not travel to the uterus, although it can also stay in other areas of the female reproductive system. What happens in these types of pregnancies is that the tissue of the tube is not as resistant as that of the womb, so with the growth of the pregnancy it ends up giving way and bleeding. If this happens it can generate very severe bleeding and put the woman's life at risk.

Although it is unlikely develop a pregnancy of this type (occurs in 1% of pregnancies) these are the risk factors and symptoms that you should be controlled:

Risk factor's

The most common risk factors for an ectopic pregnancy are:

• Previous tubal surgery
• History of ectopic pregnancy
• Previous genital infections
• Women with IUDs
• Pregnancies achieved by assisted reproductive techniques. Although it seems incongruous, in in vitro fertilizations where the embryo is placed inside the uterus there is an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, which is between 3-4%.

Symptoms

• An ectopic pregnancy should be ruled out in all bleeding first trimester.
• Bleeding scanty and dark with abdominal pain between the sixth and eighth week.

Diagnosis

• On examination by the specialist, a typical pain occurs when move the cervix during vaginal examination.
• In the ultrasound It is not possible to see the gestational sac within the womb.
• Confirm the level of HCG or pregnancy hormone in the mother's blood.

With all this information, a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy can usually be made, although it is not always easy since there can be many variants in the clinical picture.

Treatment

Treatment can be medical or surgical according to each specific case:

• Medical treatment is carried out with medication administered intramuscularly.
• Surgical treatment can be by laparoscopy or by open surgery of the abdomen. Surgical solutions can be the drainage of the ectopic pregnancy with preservation of the tube, a treatment that can increase the risk of a subsequent ectopic pregnancy, or the removal of the tube.

In a low percentage of cases, a tubal abortion, the pregnancy that had nested in the tube is interrupted spontaneously and produces an abortion. In these cases, expectant treatment can be done and the patient may not need any further treatment.