Ectopic Pregnancy

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• Ectopic Pregnancy Overview
• Ectopic Pregnancy Causes
• Ectopic Pregnancy Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Questions to Ask the Doctor
• Exams and Tests
• Ectopic Pregnancy Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Medications
• Surgery
• Other Therapy
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
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Ectopic Pregnancy Overview

An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that develops outside a woman's uterus (womb). This happens when the fertilized egg from the ovary does not implant itself normally in the uterus. Instead, the egg develops somewhere else in the abdomen. The products of this conception are abnormal and cannot develop into fetuses.

• The most common place that ectopic pregnancy occurs is in one of the fallopian tubes (a so-called tubal pregnancy). These are the tubes that transport the egg from the ovary to the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies also can be found on the outside of the uterus, on the ovaries, or attached to the bowel.
  
  
• The most serious complication of an ectopic pregnancy is intra-abdominal hemorrhage (severe bleeding). In the case of a tubal pregnancy, for example, as the products of conception continue to grow in the fallopian tube, the tube expands and eventually ruptures. This can be very dangerous because a large artery runs on the outside of each fallopian tube. If the artery ruptures, you can bleed severely.
  
  
• Ectopic pregnancy is usually found in the first 5-10 weeks of pregnancy.

Ectopic Pregnancy Causes

Ectopic pregnancy is caused when a fertilized egg lodges in a fallopian tube instead of continuing its journey to the uterus, where it is supposed to implant. The egg gets stuck when a tube is damaged, scarred, or distorted. Common conditions that increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy include the following:

• Previous tube infections (salpingitis), such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), chlamydia, and gonorrhea
  
  
• Previous surgery inside the abdomen, especially involving the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, lower abdomen, or bowels (Local surgery to the outside of the cervix is not a risk factor.)
  
  
• Use of fertility medications at the time of conception
  
  
• Prior history of tubal pregnancy
  
  
• The use of an intrauterine device (IUD) does not increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. However, a normal pregnancy is unlikely with an IUD in place, so if a woman becomes pregnant while using an IUD, it is more likely the pregnancy is not inside the uterus.