What is an Ectopic Pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy — abnormal pregnancy, which poses a serious threat to the woman's life and requires emergency gynecologist. Rather than develop as expected, in the uterus, the fertilized egg develops outside. Most (99% of cases) is fixed in the Fallopian tube, but may be in the ovaries, and in the abdominal cavity. About 1-2% Of all pregnancies (including IVF) are ectopic.

Unfortunately, to independently determine that the developing pregnancy is not normal, it is impossible. As with a normal pregnancy, ectopic is delayed menstruation, felt the changes in the mammary glands, sometimes there is a slight nausea, possible rejection of certain foods or odors. Meanwhile, the complications of an ectopic pregnancy (especially bleeding) represent a real threat to the woman's life.

In order not to miss an ectopic pregnancy, you need to register with a gynecologist, who will conduct the necessary examination.

Risk ectopic pregnancy increases with age and is highest in women 35-44 years. Particularly attentive to her to be a woman with chronic inflammatory diseases caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, mycoplasma or ureaplasma, as well as those who are undergoing treatment for tubal infertility and hormonal. In addition, the risk group includes women with endometriosis, congenital abnormalities of the uterus and fallopian tubes, recurrent miscarriages. Use as a contraceptive intrauterine device may also cause ectopic pregnancy.

Causes

This is a dangerous condition occurs when the fertilized ovum in the fallopian tube can not get there in time to the uterus.

Main reason ectopic pregnancy— Blockage of the fallopian tube, or violation of its cuts.

This can happen when:

• inflammatory process in the reproductive organs (ovaries and tubes) — for example, after an abortion;
• congenital underdevelopment of the fallopian tubes;
• hormonal disorders;
• tumors of the internal reproductive organs.

What's going on?

If not got fertilized egg in the uterus, it is attached at the location where, for example, the wall of the fallopian tube, and there begins to rise. Howeverpipe is not intended for the development of the fetus: the thickness of only 1 millimeter to about 1.5 centimeters, and the thin and soft wall is not able to stretch like the uterus. Therefore, insome point location for the development of the fetus is not enough.

Approximately4-6th week ectopic pregnancy nap outer shell of the embryo grow the wall of the fallopian tube — it is broken and there is bleeding into the abdominal cavity. In this case, there is a sharp cramping pain in the abdomen, nausea, dizziness, and often loss of consciousness. If the damage is large vessel woman may lose a large amount of blood that deadly.

Sometimes it is not brokenpipe, and the wall of the ovum, which is then expelled into the abdominal cavity through the end of the fallopian tube. This case is called a tubal abortion. It is also accompanied by severe pain in the abdomen, weakness and dizziness, but these symptoms develop more slowly than rupture of the pipe. After a while the pain subsides, and the woman gives the impression that she was all right. However, continued bleeding into the abdominal cavity may lead to serious consequences in the same as in the interrupt pipe fracture ectopic pregnancy.