Ectopic pregnancy is a serious pathology that requires timely detection. Otherwise, the consequences can be very sad. The sooner it is diagnosed that an ectopic type of pregnancy is developing, the more chances to maintain health. Such a pathology has certain signs. How to exclude an ectopic pregnancy, whether a regular home test shows two stripes, will be discussed later.
Pathology Description
In the process of planning pregnancy, a woman gets acquainted with a lot of information. There are situations that require immediate action. One of the possible risks when planning a pregnancy is its ectopic form. Every woman should know the main symptoms of such a pathology. From this sometimes depends not only health but also life.
Therefore, women are interested in many questions related to such a pathology. They are interested in how and why the egg is attached in a place not intended for this, whether the menstruation is due to an ectopic pregnancy, whether its test will show. Today, cases of such pathology are recorded more and more.
In the normal course of pregnancy, a fertilized egg passes through the fallopian tube. Then it enters the uterus, where it is implanted into the wall of this organ. But in 2% of all cases of pregnancy, the egg does not reach the uterus. She begins further development in an inappropriate place for this. In 99% of cases, this occurs in the fallopian tube. This process can occur in other places, for example, in the ovary or in the abdominal cavity.
In the vast majority of cases, such a pregnancy is terminated. She is not viable. In some very rare cases, it is possible to preserve the fetus, but this is rather the exception that confirms the rule.
How to determine an ectopic pregnancy at home? Reliably doing this is almost impossible. Rather, it can be assumed that something is wrong in the body. After a comprehensive diagnosis, only an experienced doctor will be able to determine exactly where the fertilized egg is attached. The difficulty is that the symptoms up to a certain critical moment can be mild. It is possible that a heteroscopic pregnancy is developing. In this case, one fetal egg develops, as expected, in the uterus, and the second - in any place not intended for this. Diagnosis in this case will be quite difficult.
It is especially worthwhile to treat women from the risk group with their own body signals. According to statistics, they are more at risk of developing such a pathology.
Causes
There are certain reasons for the development of an ectopic pregnancy. How to understand that a pathological process is taking place? First of all, it is necessary to carefully monitor this process in women at risk. It is not fully understood why such a deviation occurs. But according to statistics, the presented pathology often develops in the following cases:
- Age over 35 years. But sometimes a similar deviation is diagnosed at an earlier age.
- Chronic inflammatory processes in the pelvis. They, for example, can cause chlamydial infection, ureplasm, mycoplasma and other pathogenic microorganisms.
- Hormonal malfunctions in the body lead to the malfunctioning of almost all systems. Because of this, an ectopic type of pregnancy can develop.
- Any diseases in the area of the fallopian tubes significantly increase the risk of developing a pathological process. It can also be their innate underdevelopment. Problems also arise if too long, sinuous fallopian tubes are present.
- Endometriosis also increases the likelihood of deviation. Therefore, before becoming pregnant, you need to cure all concomitant diseases.
- Women with uterine abnormalities are also at risk.
- Miscarriage for any reason (including abortion).
- Use of an intrauterine device as a contraceptive.
- The formation of tumors in the reproductive system (malignant, benign).
The use of technologies such as IVF, stimulation of ovulation, can lead to undesirable consequences.
Women who have encountered these problems need to be able to recognize an ectopic pregnancy at the earliest possible date. How to understand that a similar pathology is developing, there are several methods.
The course of an ectopic pregnancy
How to rule out an ectopic pregnancy in the early stages? To answer this question, you need to consider this process in more detail. With the development of pathology, a fertilized egg for various reasons does not have time to get into the uterine cavity. Therefore, it is attached to the walls of another organ, exactly in the place where it is located. Then comes the growth of the fetal egg.
But in places not intended for embryo development, the ability of tissues to stretch is absent. Only the uterus is capable of this. Therefore, there is not enough free space for the development of the fetus in the fallopian tube or other place.
For this reason, at some point, the cavity in which the ovum develops, simply ruptures. Internal bleeding into the abdominal cavity appears. Such a process is accompanied by sharp pain, which can be cramping. Dizziness occurs, sweating, weakness is observed. A woman may lose consciousness. If damage has affected a large vessel, this can result in significant blood loss. Such a situation without timely surgical intervention leads to death.
It is worth noting that sometimes signs of an ectopic pregnancy at 2 weeks after conception may be absent. But with an ultrasound examination, it is already possible to identify a developing pathology. Examination should be carried out using a transvaginal probe. If the equipment is high-quality, modern, and the doctor is highly qualified, he will be able to detect a fetal egg at 4-4.5 obstetric weeks of pregnancy. But more often with the help of ultrasound it is possible to identify an ectopic pregnancy at 5-6 weeks.
The examination is combined with a blood test for the hormone hCG. If it is present in the blood, but there is no fetal egg in the uterus, this is a sign of ectopic implantation. Even if the diagnosis remains in doubt, a laparoscopic surgery is prescribed. Only this procedure allows with a 100% guarantee to say whether there is such a pathology.
How to recognize a pathology?
Many women are interested in whether or not an ectopic pregnancy test will show. It is necessary to consider the main signs of such a deviation. The sooner a woman realizes that a fetal egg was implanted in an inappropriate place for this, the less will be the consequences for her body.
It is worth considering that the symptoms with the pathological development of the process are almost the same as with the usual onset of pregnancy. This makes diagnosis difficult. Do menstruation go with an ectopic pregnancy? With this development of events, menstruation is delayed. This is due to hormonal changes in the body, which is also determined by ectopic implantation of a fertilized egg. But in this case, bloody spotting from the vagina can be observed. Such a symptom should alert you during normal pregnancy.
Slight brownish or reddish discharge is due to a slight hemorrhage. It occurs during the implantation of a fertilized egg in the fallopian tube.
How to find out about an ectopic pregnancy? There are several signs that distinguish pathology from the norm. There are cases when, with ectopic egg implantation, menstruation still occurs. This should alert, become an occasion for a comprehensive examination. Menstruation is accompanied by mild secretions. With ectopic pregnancy, menstruation differs from normal.
Another symptom is lower abdominal pain. They are determined on the one hand, from the side where the egg is fixed in the fallopian tube. Discomfort occurs periodically. The pains are most often pulling and increase over time.
It is worth remembering that the first symptoms appear only at 5-8 weeks after the onset of the last menstruation. Up to this point, most often a woman does not feel any unpleasant sensations.
Test
How to rule out an ectopic pregnancy without an ultrasound? This is a rather complicated procedure, which has many nuances. Even ultrasound does not always confirm such a pathology with a 100% guarantee. But still a pregnancy test can be informative.
So, you need to consider how a similar diagnostic tool is used at home. Many pregnancy tests are on sale. They can be inkjet or made in the form of test strips. They respond to the presence of the hCG hormone in the body. From the very first day, the fetal egg produces it by joining the uterus or fallopian tube.
The sensitivity of the tests may vary. You need to choose the appropriate variety in accordance with the day of the cycle. There are several recommendations for choosing a test:
- Ovulation occurred 7-10 days ago, there is no delay in menstruation. To check whether pregnancy has occurred at this time, you need to purchase a high-quality inkjet or electronic test. It should have the highest sensitivity (10 mU / ml).
- A delay of 1-5 days is determined. In addition to the electronic and inkjet options, a test cassette is suitable. If the result is negative, you need to run the test again in a week. If menstruation begins, which will be plentiful enough, there is no pregnancy.
- If the delay is 7-14 days, you can buy the simplest test with a sensitivity of 20-25 mMe / ml. It can even be just a paper strip with a reagent deposited on its surface. At this stage of pregnancy, the probability of receiving a false negative answer is minimal.
When used correctly, the test will be accurate with a 90% probability. Carefully follow the requirements of the instructions. You need to conduct a test in the morning. It is advisable not to use the toilet at night. The more concentrated the urine, the more reliable the test result.
Even if the second strip is pale, this indicates a new pregnancy. If the test is positive, you need to consult a gynecologist as soon as possible. The doctor must be informed if the second strip was pale, barely noticeable. This may indicate an ectopic pregnancy. On the test, a strip with a low intensity indicates a low concentration of hCG in the urine. This situation requires additional laboratory studies.
Pale strip of dough
Home diagnostic methods do not provide reliable information about the place of egg implantation. Only a laboratory examination gives an accurate hCG result. With an ectopic pregnancy, this hormone is produced more slowly than usual. On the test, this situation is reflected precisely by the appearance of a weak second strip.
Some women in this case think that this result indicates an expired reagent. But this is not so. If the reagent is expired, the first test strip will not appear. Even a slight manifestation of the second strip indicates the presence in the body of the hormone hCG. The reason for getting a weak second strip may be:
- Before the test, you drank a lot of liquid.
- The test was done too soon. This situation is most often determined during home diagnostics before the delay of menstruation. At this time, the level of hCG is only increasing, it is still not high enough.
- Diagnosis shows an ectopic pregnancy.
Many women are interested in whether an ectopic pregnancy test will show or not. It is worth remembering that a similar condition has all the symptoms, as with uterine implantation of a fetal egg. In this case, hCG is produced. But due to the slow process of fixing and growth of the fetal egg, the concentration of the hormone grows more slowly. In the fallopian tube there are no suitable conditions for the proper development of the embryo. Therefore, its growth is slower.
This feature is taken into account when determining an ectopic pregnancy. If you test a few days later, the second strip will become clear with normal egg implantation. If the pregnancy is an ectopic, the result will remain the same. The second strip will be pale. But the danger of such a technique lies in the fact that for a second test you need to wait a few days. Delay in such a situation is unacceptable. With improper implantation of the egg, you need to act quickly.
Features of using the test
Considering how to determine an ectopic pregnancy at home, several nuances should be noted. So, when using tests, you need to choose their type correctly. Not every test shows a faint second streak. But it is precisely this symptom that is considered the main one with such a diagnosis.
The second strip, as you know, with ectopic implantation of the egg remains pale. It does not become bright with time, as it should be with a normal pregnancy.
If a sensitive test was selected for testing, capable of detecting even a very small amount of hCG in the urine, then the second strip will be pale during the first test before the delay. Over time, its intensity will increase. But at the same time, it still will not become as bright as the control line. This feature is typical for high sensitivity inkjet tests.
By purchasing an electronic test, you can not visually assess the brightness of the test strip. In this case, even with a slight concentration of hCG in the urine, the device will give a positive result. The answer “+” or “PREGNANT” will be displayed on the scoreboard. Therefore, women who are at risk should avoid electronic tests. They can not be informative when an ectopic pregnancy occurs. If the first test was done using such a device, the second time you need to perform a test immediately after the delay. To do this, use an inkjet or test strip. If the second line is pale, urgent additional diagnosis is needed.
Special test
Today, special devices are available for sale that can detect improper implantation of a fertilized egg. This is one of the latest achievements of science in the field of gynecology. A test determining an ectopic pregnancy gives the correct answer with a confidence of 90%.
So, one of the most popular tests is Inexcreen. He is able to determine not only the presence of hCG, but also provide extensive information about it. The principle of this technique is to determine two isomorphic forms of this hormone.
In normal pregnancy, the amount of gonadotropin should contain a modified isomorph of about 10%. If implantation has occurred in an inappropriate place for this, the amount of this substance will be less. This is a reliable criterion that allows one to determine with high reliability the type of implantation of a fertilized egg.
Considering ways to exclude an ectopic pregnancy, you should consider this method as the most reliable. In this case, it is not necessary to evaluate whether the strip is faint on the test. A unique technique allows you to check between 4 and 5 obstetric weeks of pregnancy. Following the manufacturer's instructions, pathology can be confirmed or excluded.
How much time is there for a diagnosis
Knowing how to exclude an ectopic pregnancy, it is worth understanding that there is not so much time for making the correct diagnosis. But a test conducted too soon will also be unreliable. You need to understand how to properly approach the diagnosis, if there is a likelihood of a pathology.
Of course, you can’t delay with a trip to the gynecologist. The fallopian tube may burst suddenly. In this case, surgical intervention is indicated.
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Treatment
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Early diagnosis in some cases avoids surgery at all. A woman is prescribed to take substances such as mifepristone or methotrexate. Pregnancy, interrupted medically, does not leave serious consequences for the body. This is the best option that avoids trauma to the fallopian tube.