23/10/2025
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube.
Symptoms🌺
📌Abnormal vaginal bleeding or spotting
📌Mild to severe pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, which may occur on one side
📌Shoulder or neck pain (if a ruptured ectopic pregnancy irritates nerves)
📌Nausea and breast tenderness (can overlap with normal pregnancy)
📌Dizziness or fainting (if the tube ruptures)
Causes🌺
An ectopic pregnancy is not viable and the embryo cannot survive because it cannot get the blood supply it needs to grow.
The most common cause is a fertilized egg implanting in a fallopian tube, but it can also occur in the o***y, cervix, or abdomen.
A ruptured ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that can cause severe internal bleeding.
Treatment🌺
Medical treatment:
If caught early and the pregnancy has not ruptured, it can often be treated with a medication which dissolves the ectopic tissue.
Surgical treatment:
If the pregnancy is more advanced, has ruptured, or if medication is not an option, surgery is required. This may involve removing the ectopic pregnancy along with the fallopian tube (salpingectomy) or removing the pregnancy and leaving the tube to heal (salpingostomy).
Credit: Google
A visual diagram of pregnancy that formed on one of the tubes instead of the uterus (Ectopic pregnancy).
It is advised for everyone to go for ultrasound in their first trimester whenever they conceive to rule ectopic pregnancy and other abnormalities because if allowed to rupture it can damage a woman's uterus completely.
📷: Internet
