If you have symptoms of depression that last for more than a couple of weeks, be sure to call your doctor or a psychologist, clinical social worker, or licensed mental health counselor. You can contact a support group, read about the experiences of other women, and talk to friends, a counselor, or a member of the clergy. These things may help you and your family deal with a pregnancy loss.
If you have had an ectopic pregnancy, you may worry about your chances of having a healthy or ectopic pregnancy in the future. Your risk factors and any fallopian tube damage you may have will impact your future risk and your ability to become pregnant. Your doctor can answer your questions based on your risk factors. Medicine can only be used for early ectopic pregnancies that have not ruptured.
Depending on where the ectopic growth is and what type of surgery would otherwise be used, medicine may be less likely than surgical treatment to cause fallopian tube damage. For an ectopic pregnancy that is more developed, surgery is a safer and more dependable treatment.
Methotrexate is used to stop the growth of an early ectopic pregnancy. It can also be used after surgical ectopic treatment to ensure that all ectopic cell growth has stopped.
Methotrexate treatment is usually the first choice for ending an early ectopic pregnancy. If the pregnancy is further along, surgery is safer and more likely than medicine to be effective.
Methotrexate can cause unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea. For information about how to minimize side effects, see these tips for managing methotrexate treatment.
If your ectopic pregnancy is not too far advanced and has not ruptured, methotrexate may be a treatment option for you. Successful methotrexate treatment of an early ectopic pregnancy avoids the risks of surgery, may be less likely to damage the fallopian tube than surgery, and is more likely to preserve your fertility. If you are not concerned with preserving fertility, surgery for an ectopic pregnancy is faster than methotrexate treatment and will likely cause less bleeding.
Surgery may be your only treatment option if you have internal bleeding. When possible, surgery is done through a small incision using laparoscopy. This type of surgery usually has a short recovery period. An ectopic pregnancy can be removed from a fallopian tube by using salpingostomy or salpingectomy. Both salpingostomy and salpingectomy can be done either through a small incision using laparoscopy or through a larger open abdominal incision laparotomy.
Laparoscopy takes less time than laparotomy. And the hospital stay is shorter. But for an abdominal ectopic pregnancy or an emergency tubal ectopic removal, a laparotomy is usually required. When an ectopic pregnancy is located in an unruptured fallopian tube, every attempt is made to remove the pregnancy without removing or damaging the tube. Your future fertility and your risk of having another ectopic pregnancy will be affected by your own risk factors. These can include smoking, use of assisted reproductive technology ART to get pregnant, and how much fallopian tube damage you have.
As long as you have one healthy fallopian tube, salpingostomy small tubal slit and salpingectomy part of a tube removed have about the same effect on your future fertility. But if your other tube is damaged, your doctor may try to do a salpingostomy. This may improve your chances of getting pregnant in the future. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.
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Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Ectopic Pregnancy. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is an ectopic pregnancy? What causes an ectopic pregnancy? Things that make you more likely to have fallopian tube damage and an ectopic pregnancy include: Smoking. The more you smoke, the higher your risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease PID. This is often the result of an infection such as chlamydia or gonorrhea.
Endometriosis , which can cause scar tissue in or around the fallopian tubes. Being exposed to the chemical DES before you were born. Some medical treatments can increase your risk of ectopic pregnancy. These include: Surgery on the fallopian tubes or in the pelvic area. Fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization. What are the symptoms? The key signs of an ectopic pregnancy are: Pelvic or belly pain.
It may be sharp on one side at first and then spread through your belly. It may be worse when you move or strain. Vaginal bleeding. If you think you are pregnant and you have these symptoms, see your doctor right away. How is an ectopic pregnancy diagnosed? To find out if you have an ectopic pregnancy, your doctor will likely do: A pelvic exam to check the size of your uterus and feel for growths or tenderness in your belly. A blood test that checks the level of the pregnancy hormone hCG.
This test is repeated 2 days later. During early pregnancy, the level of this hormone doubles every 2 days. Low levels suggest a problem, such as ectopic pregnancy.
An ultrasound. This test can show pictures of what is inside your belly. With ultrasound, a doctor can usually see a pregnancy in the uterus 6 weeks after your last menstrual period.
How is it treated? What can you expect after an ectopic pregnancy? But it does mean that: You may have trouble getting pregnant. You are more likely to have another ectopic pregnancy. Cause Fallopian tube damage is a common cause of ectopic pregnancy. Common causes of fallopian tube damage that may lead to an ectopic pregnancy include: Smoking. Smoking is thought to damage the fallopian tubes' ability to move the fertilized egg toward the uterus. Pelvic inflammatory disease PID , such as from a chlamydia or gonorrhea infection.
PID can create scar tissue in the fallopian tubes. Fallopian tube surgery, often used to reverse a tubal ligation or to repair a scarred or blocked tube. A previous ectopic pregnancy in a fallopian tube. Symptoms An early ectopic pregnancy often feels like a normal pregnancy.
A woman with an ectopic pregnancy may experience common signs of early pregnancy, such as: A missed menstrual period. Tender breasts. Increased urination. First signs of an ectopic pregnancy may include: Vaginal bleeding, which may be light. Abdominal belly pain or pelvic pain, usually 6 to 8 weeks after a missed period. As an ectopic pregnancy progresses, though, other symptoms may develop, including: Belly pain or pelvic pain that may get worse with movement or straining.
It may occur sharply on one side at first and then spread throughout the pelvic region. Heavy or severe vaginal bleeding. Pain with intercourse or during a pelvic exam. Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting syncope caused by internal bleeding. Signs of shock. An early ectopic pregnancy without unstable bleeding is most often treated with a medication called methotrexate, which stops cell growth and dissolves existing cells. The medication is given by injection.
It's very important that the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy is certain before receiving this treatment. After the injection, your doctor will order another HCG test to determine how well treatment is working, and if you need more medication.
Salpingostomy and salpingectomy are two laparoscopic surgeries used to treat some ectopic pregnancies. In these procedure, a small incision is made in the abdomen, near or in the navel. Next, your doctor uses a thin tube equipped with a camera lens and light laparoscope to view the tubal area.
In a salpingostomy, the ectopic pregnancy is removed and the tube left to heal on its own. In a salpingectomy, the ectopic pregnancy and the tube are both removed. Which procedure you have depends on the amount of bleeding and damage and whether the tube has ruptured. Also a factor is whether your other fallopian tube is normal or shows signs of prior damage. If the ectopic pregnancy is causing heavy bleeding, you might need emergency surgery.
This can be done laparoscopically or through an abdominal incision laparotomy. In some cases, the fallopian tube can be saved. Typically, however, a ruptured tube must be removed. Losing a pregnancy is devastating, even if you've only known about it for a short time. Recognize the loss, and give yourself time to grieve. Talk about your feelings and allow yourself to experience them fully. Rely on your partner, loved ones and friends for support.
You might also seek the help of a support group, grief counselor or other mental health provider. Many women who have an ectopic pregnancy go on to have a future, healthy pregnancy. The female body normally has two fallopian tubes.
If one is damaged or removed, an egg may join with a sperm in the other tube and then travel to the uterus. If both fallopian tubes have been injured or removed, in vitro fertilization IVF might still be an option. With this procedure, mature eggs are fertilized in a lab and then implanted into the uterus. If you've had an ectopic pregnancy, your risk of having another one is increased. If you wish to try to get pregnant again, it's very important to see your doctor regularly.
Early blood tests are recommended for all women who've had an ectopic pregnancy. If the ectopic pregnancy goes unnoticed and a fallopian tube ruptures, you may experience:.
Problems with the development of the fertilized egg or hormonal imbalances may also play a role. Although any woman can develop an ectopic pregnancy, the following conditions are linked with an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy:.
A pregnancy that's ectopic is usually diagnosed at about four to six weeks into pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy tests and diagnosis often include:. There are several options to treat it, all of which require careful follow-up with your doctor to ensure your hCG levels drop back down to zero.
The drug keeps cells from growing, so the pregnancy ends and is reabsorbed by the body over four to six weeks. If your hCG level does not drop by at least 15 percent between the fourth to seventh day after treatment, a second dose is required.
In most other cases, including when a fallopian tube has ruptured or the pregnancy is further along, your practitioner may perform surgery under general anesthesia to remove an ectopic pregnancy. Women usually leave the hospital within 24 hours after a laparoscopy, and the recovery time is a week or two.
It allows surgeons to see inside without having to make larger incisions while surgical instruments are used. In some cases where the fallopian tube has ruptured, part or all of it may need to be removed.
Sometimes a bigger incision is needed to treat an ectopic pregnancy. Without early diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy and treatment, a fertilized egg can continue to grow in the fallopian tube, leading to a rupture. If a fallopian tube bursts, it can't carry a fertilized egg to the uterus in the future. And if a rupture is uncared for, it can result in severe internal bleeding and shock.
Although some factors are out of your control, there are a few ways you can decrease your risk of ectopic pregnancy:. You may feel sad or shocked, and healing emotionally can take time. Lean on your friends and family for support following a pregnancy loss , and consider a support group or grief counseling. Having an ectopic pregnancy should have little bearing on your future fertility. Even if you lost a fallopian tube, the other tube should take over.
Some research has shown that about two-thirds of women treated for ectopic pregnancy conceive and have a normal pregnancy within two years.
On average, about 85 percent of couples who haven't experienced ectopic pregnancy conceive within one year of trying.
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