ECTOPIC PREGNANCY Ectopic Pregnancy affects 1/100 pregnancies,It occurs when the fertilised egg implants outside of the cavity of the womb.As the embryo grows it causes pain & Bleeding. This condition is an emergency and must be dealt with by a hospital as soon as possible. It is very dangerous to the mother if left untreated. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES ? Once fertilised the egg travels through the fallopian tubes for between 6-7 days.This is were the problems arise if there are blocked tubes or narrowing, Conditions such as Appendicitis, Pelvic infections can also prevent the travel of the egg for implantation. In most cases the ectopic pregnancy dies quickly even before a period is missed.This can also be confussed with early miscarriage symptoms,where a ectopic pregnancy was not diagnoised as the body had already absorbed the egg and dispelled it.Nothing needs to be done under these circumstances. If however the fertilised egg continues to grow the thin walls of the fallopian tube will stretch causing lower abdominal pain and some vaginal bleeding.As the pregnancy continues to grow it may well cause the tube to rupture, causing severe pain heavy blood loss and collapse. Before this happens a bloodtest can be done to determine ectopic pregnancy where as the pregnancy levels will not rise as they should, There will also be internal scans to determine if anything can be seen. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS ? Any women of child bearing age consulting there dr with lower abdominal pain will certainly want to rule out ectopic pregnancy.The pain can start suddenly & may not be present with vaginal bleeding.The majority of cases present themselves between the 4th-10th week of pregnancy with any of the following symptoms.ONE SIDED ABDOMINAL PAIN,SHOULDER TIP PAIN,ABNORMAL BLEEDING,BOWEL OR BLADDER PROBLEMS,COLLAPSE FAINTING KNOWING AND SENSING SOMETHING IS WRONG, HOW IS IT TREATED ? If a ectopic is suspected you should go straight to the hospital where the gynae,s will do the immediate tests, bloodtests,scans pregnancy tests etc,If the scan shows an empty uterus but the tests show positive, An intravaginal prob is the best method but does not always show up if an ectopic is present in very early stages. If the women is in no immediate danger and appears well the drs maywell monitor her over the next few days with bloodtests etc to establish for sure whether there is a ectopic.If the women becomes worse then a laparoscopy would need to be done.If an ectopic pregnancy is obvious it would have to be removed.If early diagnoises is possible there are less invasive measures which can be taken, such as keyhole surgery and drugs which gives the women a better chance for future fertility.There is always a possibility that the surgeon in some cases can remove the ectopic preganacy from the tube and join the tubes back together.Leaving the tube intact.The other option is to use the drug METHOTREXATE which ends the pregnancy this can be injected via laparoscopy, ultrasound or into the muscle.This is then absorbed into the bloodstream avoiding any damage to the fallopian tubes.These skills are performed on the expertise of the dr.and are still being researched. WHO IS AT RISK ? Any women of child bearing age is at risk. Ectopics are more commonly found in women who have suffered from pelvic Inflammatory disease.History of pelvic pain due to infection in the fallopian tubes, Endometriosis previous c/sections, Appendectomy or previous ectopic pregnancy, leaving scaring and adhesions around the tubes.A coil fitted this prevents pregnancy occuring in the uterus but does prevent ectopic pregnancy occuring. Mini pill has shown increased risk of ectopic pregnancy due to tubal motility being slowed down. FUTURE PREGNANCY ? If a tube had to be removed due to rupture then a womens will still ovulate but will reduce her chances by 50%.The chances of a repeat ectopic occuring is about 7-10% depending on previous surgery. If ectopic occured due to Coil being fitted having the coil removed will not affect future pregnancy there is no increased risk. If a women suspects she is pregnant again she must see a dr as soon as possible for close monitoring,Remind the dr if necessary of past history.Quick reaction and treatment is vital to save any further damage happening to the fallopian tubes. YOUR FEELINGS ? Going through an ectopic pregnancy is devastating emotionally and having to heal from major surgery, Not only grieving over the loss of your baby but also the loss of part of your fertility.You may not have even been aware that you were pregnant when this all happened.Although going through a dramatic experience it can take weeks months to come to terms with what happened and others have to be understanding how big a impact this has had on you.Often people search for reasons WHY? The most important thing to remember is you are not the cause, there maybe no explainable explanation, You are often left feeling very vunerable and depressed as your hormones will take time to settle down aftyer the shock you have been through. Its also important to realise that your partner will also be suffering from what has happened and maywell not know what to do or say and tries to be strong, this can put preassure on the relationship as we often feel they dont care because they dont talk about it, when infact they are finding it hard to grieve themselves. ALLOW YOURSELF TIME TO COME TO TERMS EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY BEFORE TRYING AGAIN. DRS WILL ALWAYS SAY WAIT AT LEAST 3 MONTHS BEFORE TRYING AGAIN.SOME WOMEN WANT TO CONCEIVE AGAIN STRAIGHT AWAY ALTHOUGH WORRIED AND ANXIOUS.THE ANXIETY CAN RUN HIGH FOR FEARS OF SOMETHING GOING WRONG.  ALWAYS REMEMBER NO MATTER HOW TERRIFYING THE THOUGHT OF ANOTHER ECTOPIC MAYBE,THE CHANCES ARE YOU WILL GO ON TO HAVE A HAPPY NORMAL PREGNANCY. I do hope that this has helped you and the information given is for self learning and understanding purposes only, It by no means replaces the information given by your dr or practioner, Anyone who has been through OR SUSPECTED ectopic pregnancy should always consult there DR before trying again.Please visit our message boards for total support should you wish to talk.   COPYWRITE TO JOANNA ALL FOR MAYBE BABY 2005 PAGE CREATED 18TH MAY2005 BINKY_JOE MANAGER