Ectopic Pregnancy

What Is An Ectopic Pregnancy?

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself outside the uterus, This is most commonly in your fallopian tubes but can also be in your abdomen, cervix or ovary. A heterotopic pregnancy, in the womb and fallopian tube at the same time can occur but is rare (1/10,000 pregnancies.) Between 0.25 and 1% of all pregnancies are ectopic.

What Are The Causes Of Ectopic Pregnancy?

fallopian tubes blocked
age -older mothers are more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy
pelvic inflammatory disease
tubal surgery
previous history of ectopic pregnancy
DES exposure – DES was a drug that was used in pregnancy. It was found to affect the genital systems of female babies.
history of termination
IVF and ovulation induction
bad luck

How Will I Know If I Have One?

sharp pain in your lower abdomen.
heavy vaginal bleeding,
nausea and faintness
missed period
positive pregnancy test with vaginal bleeding
shoulder tip pain

If you are experiencing any symptoms mentioned above contact your GP or go to hospital immediately.

What Will My GP Or Hospital Do?

They will use an ELISA urinary test to check if you are pregnant and will back this up with an ultrasound. If they think you are suffering from an ectopic pregnancy a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy will be performed to remove the egg.

What Treatments Are Available?

Expectant Management – some ectopic pregnancies regress naturally
Medical Treatment – An injection of methotrexate shrinks and stops the cell dividing
Laparoscopic surgery – under general anaesthetic. The tube is opened up and the pregnancy or the whole tube removed. This is called a salpingectomy
Open surgery – A 5cm incision is made above the pubic hair line and a salpingotomy or a salpingectomy is performed.

Will I Be Able To Get Pregnant Again?

You can still get pregnant after an ectopic prengnancy. This second pregnancy could also be ectopic but there is a greater chance that it won’t be. Whether or not you have recurring ectopic pregnancies depends on:-

the type of treatment that you received
the amount of damage to the fallopian tube
extent of difficulty in conceiving the first time

Research has shown that there is a 9% chance of repeating if the tube is removed and 12% chance of repeat if the tube remains.

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