One of the most dangerous pathologies in the field of gynecology is an ectopic pregnancy. Fortunately, it is not found so often and not all women. The types of ectopic pregnancy, its symptoms and treatment methods will be discussed in this article.
Short description
Conception of an embryo implies fertilization of an egg. Normally, a fertilized egg should attach to the uterine wall. If its attachment occurred outside the uterus, this phenomenon is called an ectopic pregnancy.
Classification by location
There are several types of ectopic pregnancy. First of all, pathology is classified according to local signs.
- The tube type is the most common. It is diagnosed in approximately 93–95% of cases. Normally, the egg should move through the tube and enter the uterine cavity. If for some reason this does not happen, then the embryo remains in one of the tubular sections.
- The ovarian, interconnected or abdominal type is an extremely rare occurrence, each of which occurs only in 2-3% of cases. The reason for the development of pathology is the casting and attachment of a fertilized egg in the ovary, abdominal cavity or large ligaments of the uterus.
With improper attachment, further development of the embryo is impossible. A patient with such a pathology has an abortion. It is better to carry out this procedure as soon as possible, since there is a high risk of the most dangerous consequences of an ectopic pregnancy - rupture of the tube, ovarian tissue or ligaments.
Pathology stages
There are several types of ectopic pregnancy, which are classified by the stages of development of pathology.
- Fertilization of the egg and its attachment outside the uterine cavity.
- The appearance of the first prerequisites for spontaneous abortion: rupture of the tube or tissues of the ovary.
- The final abortion.
The sooner the patient reveals a pathological pregnancy, the faster she will be able to have an abortion by surgical method. This will allow her to maintain her health and avoid adverse effects.
Custom cases
When it comes to types of ectopic pregnancy, it is worth talking separately about non-standard cases.
There are cases of simultaneous development of uterine and ectopic pregnancy. This happens when one fertilized egg has reached the desired position, and the other is not. In this case, doctors take all kinds of measures to have an abortion without harming the uterine cavity. There is a high risk of saving one baby.
And also a multiple ectopic pregnancy is possible, which is interrupted spontaneously or surgically.
Development reasons
The first ectopic pregnancy is always stress and shock. Women begin to wonder why this happened to them.
There are several reasons for this phenomenon:
- Individual characteristics of the body. Many women are diagnosed with a congenital anomaly: obstruction of the fallopian tubes or the presence of additional fallopian tubes. This pathology makes it impossible to move the egg to the right place.
- Contraception. Theoretically, an intrauterine device reduces the risk of pregnancy. In practice, there are cases that conception still occurs, but outside the uterus. Some birth control pills, such as Mini-Drank, can lead to a similar result .
- Hormonal failure or the presence of neoplasms in the pelvis.
- Artificial insemination. According to statistics, every 20th IVF leads to the development of an ectopic pregnancy.
Not always the "culprit" of the formation of such a pathology is a woman. She can develop because of her partner. For example, the cause of this may be weak sperm motility.
Factors that increase the risk of abnormal pregnancy
Experienced gynecologists have been conducting research for several decades. Medical specialists were able to identify several factors in which the risk of developing an abnormal pregnancy increases markedly:
- Introducing the wrong lifestyle. If a woman smokes and drinks alcohol for a long time, then the risk of any kind of problems during conception and bearing a baby increases several times. A secondary factor may include living or working in adverse conditions.
- Previous abortions or forced curettage.
- If a woman already had an ectopic pregnancy, then the likelihood that she will come again increases by 7-13 times.
- People with sexually transmitted infections or endocrine diseases are at risk.
It is worth noting that the absence of the above factors does not guarantee that the anomaly does not develop.
Symptoms
Ectopic and uterine pregnancies in the early stages develop in exactly the same way: there is a delay in the menstrual cycle, pulling pains appear in the lower abdomen, breast enlargement and coarsening of the nipples. If you do a test, it will show two bars. How to recognize an ectopic pregnancy at an early stage? You should be wary of the appearance of several symptoms.
- As mentioned earlier, the test will give a positive result. But in most cases, one strip is noticeably paler than the second. Moreover, with an increase in the gestation period, its intensity will noticeably decrease.
- Pain in the lower abdomen. At first it will be light and pulling, but every day it will begin to become stronger. Gradually, a woman will begin to feel discomfort on one side only. When the body is tilted and when moving from one side to the other, unpleasant sensations will appear.
- Scanty spotting.
- In rare cases, there is an increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees.
If any suspicious symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and carry out appropriate diagnostic measures.
Detection Methods
There are two ways to recognize an ectopic pregnancy. The first of them is carried out in laboratory conditions. A woman needs to donate blood to the hCG hormone. If the indicators are below normal, then an abnormal pregnancy may develop. However, this method cannot be called accurate. The hCG hormone may be below normal due to late ovulation.
The surest way to identify the incorrect location of the embryo is ultrasound. Thus, it is possible to determine an ectopic pregnancy from the second week of delay, that is, when 5-7 weeks have passed since conception. A tentative diagnosis is made if there is no fetal egg in the uterine cavity with a high level of hCG. Additionally, a transvaginal ultrasound is performed, which will determine exactly where the fertilized egg is attached.
Treatment
What to do with an ectopic pregnancy? Unfortunately, full-fledged further development of the fetus is impossible under such circumstances. Pregnancy is interrupted in two ways: medication and surgery. It is important to take action as soon as possible. Only in this case can adverse consequences be avoided.
The drug method is the most sparing. Its essence lies in the fact that a special drug “Methotrexate” is introduced into the woman’s body. Under its influence, the fetus dies, resolves and spontaneously leaves the genitals of a woman.
The surgical method (laparoscopy) is carried out quite often. Its essence is to remove the fetal egg. It is produced under general anesthesia. The smaller the embryo at the time of surgery, the better. In this case, the fallopian tube will not be damaged, and the patient will be able to maintain reproductive functions.
After abortion, the patient should be under the supervision of specialists for 1-2 weeks. In a hospital, rehabilitation measures are being taken to restore her health.
Reviews
The abnormal location of the fetus occurs in 2-3% of all pregnancies. In recent years, the number of women with a similar pathology has increased markedly. In ladies' forums, you can often find reviews about an ectopic pregnancy. Mostly female representatives write that they were able to identify the anomaly in the early stages and eliminate it in a timely manner, which avoided adverse effects. Often, with repeated attempts at conception, the fertilized egg again occupies a position outside the uterine cavity.
An ectopic pregnancy is a very dangerous phenomenon that can lead to infertility, the development of gross pathologies, diseases of the genital organs and even death. It is very important to identify it in the early stages.