What is ectopic pregnancy: What is the cause of the dreaded ectopic pregnancy and how to treat it?

A patient who had been infertile for many years finally got pregnant after a period of treatment. The whole family was happy, but not long after, the patient had vaginal bleeding. After going to the hospital, the doctor said it was an “ectopic pregnancy” and she had to be hospitalized for surgery. The family was very confused. Why did she have an “ectopic pregnancy” when she was fine? Isn’t artificial abortion okay? Why did she have to be hospitalized? It seems that this patient didn’t know anything about “ectopic pregnancy”. There may be many friends who have misunderstandings about ectopic pregnancy. Today, we will take a closer look.

1. What is ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy is a dangerous acute abdomen in gynecology . Pregnancy that occurs outside the uterine cavity is called “ectopic pregnancy”, medically known as ” ectopic pregnancy “, with an incidence rate of less than 1%, and it must be highly vigilant. Once it occurs, there will be amenorrhea, abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding. You should go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis immediately. And timely treatment, or even emergency treatment, can reduce or prevent abdominal bleeding and avoid serious consequences caused by excessive bleeding.

2. 5 major symptoms of ectopic pregnancy

1. Amenorrhea: prolonged menstrual cycle.

2. Vaginal bleeding: There may be a small amount of vaginal bleeding, which can be easily mistaken for “menstruation”.

3. Abdominal pain: pain in one side of the lower abdomen , a feeling of defecation, sometimes severe pain, accompanied by cold sweat. When ruptured, the patient suddenly feels tearing pain in one side of the lower abdomen , often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

4. Syncope and shock: Acute intra-abdominal bleeding caused by miscarriage or rupture of ectopic pregnancy mass may cause syncope in mild cases and shock in severe cases.

5. Other symptoms: There may be nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, diarrhea and other discomforts.

3. 5 major factors of ectopic pregnancy

1. Recurrent miscarriage:

With the continuous change of traditional concepts, abortion caused by premarital sex is becoming more and more common. Repeated miscarriages can easily lead to ectopic pregnancy, which may be related to secondary infection and abnormal fallopian tube function . The current incidence of pregnancy has increased by 5 to 6 times compared with the 1980s. The more miscarriages, the greater the chance of pregnancy. Therefore, women should do a good job of contraception to prevent the attack of ectopic pregnancy.

2. Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease:

Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, especially salpingitis , is another important factor in the development of pregnancy. Women must not ignore this common gynecological disease. Because salpingitis can narrow the lumen of the tube, it is difficult for the fertilized egg to enter the uterine cavity, so it has to “set up camp” in the fallopian tube or ovary.

3. Sheung Wan:

According to information in medical textbooks, about 3% of women who have had an IUD inserted will still become pregnant. Therefore, even if an IUD is inserted, if you experience abdominal pain symptoms, you should consider the possibility of ectopic pregnancy. You should not think that “everything is fine” and take it lightly.

4. History of ectopic pregnancy:

According to medical statistics, women with a history of pregnancy are more likely to have another pregnancy. Therefore, when confirming pregnancy, it is necessary to closely monitor whether there is a possibility of pregnancy.

5. Pelvic endometriosis:

Women with pelvic endometriosis , in addition to affecting their daily lives, such as dysmenorrhea, may also suffer from fallopian tube lesions and infertility. At the same time, the incidence of fallopian tube pregnancy is also significantly increased.

4. Time of ectopic pregnancy rupture

The risk of pregnancy is that the pregnancy site may rupture, causing internal bleeding, which can easily delay the disease and threaten the life of the pregnant woman. When an ectopic pregnancy ruptures, the patient generally feels severe abdominal pain, pale complexion, weak and rapid pulse, and low blood pressure, etc. Under normal circumstances, ectopic pregnancy ruptures around the 6th to 8th week after menopause, and in some cases it occurs 3 months after menopause.

5. Three major treatments for ectopic pregnancy

Patients with a history of ectopic pregnancy often panic and blindly use contraception, which is not advisable. Don’t be too nervous if you have an ectopic . It can be cured under the close supervision of a doctor. The treatment of pregnancy includes expectant treatment, conservative treatment and surgical treatment.

1. Expectant treatment :

After the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, if the patient has no obvious discomfort or only a small amount of vaginal bleeding, and the blood HCG is not higher than 2000mIU/ml, all pregnancy-preserving drugs can be stopped, and the patient should be hospitalized for observation and treatment. The patient must rest in bed and have the HCG checked every other day. If the decrease is more than 20%, the patient can continue to be observe. If the decrease is not obvious or even increases, the next step of treatment must be take.

2. Conservative treatment:

If the expected treatment is not effective, or the patient has abdominal pain or other discomfort, and the blood HCG level is not higher than 2000mIU/ml, medication can be used, but it must be used under the supervision of a doctor in the hospital;

3. Surgical treatment:

If conservative drug treatment fails or the pregnancy mass ruptures, surgical treatment is require. Currently, minimally invasive surgery, i.e. laparoscopic surgery , is generally use, which has little trauma and fast recovery. The affected fallopian tube can be remove, or the fallopian tube can be preserve and the pregnancy lesion can be remove.

In short, although pregnancy cannot be predict, it can be detect and treated early. Once an pregnancy is confirm, you must go to the hospital for treatment. Don’t be careless or take chances!