Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy in the early period

Each woman sooner or later morally ripens to become a mother. For some, this awareness comes long before the pregnancy, and someone decides to become a good mother after seeing two strips on the test. If pregnancy is desired, any woman tries in every way to make the baby develop well and without pathologies. But the outcome of events is not always rainbow. Sometimes the pregnancy is interrupted, not having time to really develop. And the reason for this - ectopic location and attachment of the ovum. This is a rather dangerous condition that requires immediate hospitalization. If the necessary measures are not taken on time, everything can end in tragedy. In this article, you will learn what ectopic pregnancy is, read about the causes and symptoms of this pathology,and also get to know the main ways to solve this problem.

What is ectopic pregnancy

In order to understand the principle of ectopic pregnancy, you need to know how the body works in normal mode. After intercourse, a huge number of sperm through the vagina enters the body of a woman. Spermatozoa makes a huge way to the egg and only one (the strongest and most enduring) is able to fertilize it. The fertilized egg cell is called a zygote - it sneaks through the fallopian tubes to the uterus for 7 days to finally get hold of it and begin its development. Until the embryo adheres to the uterine wall, the mother’s lifestyle does not affect its development. And only after implantation, the fetus begins to receive blood, food, oxygen from the mother. So begins the development of a healthy pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancy develops a little differently. If the female reproductive system is malfunctioning, the fertilized egg simply cannot advance through the fallopian tubes and is stuck in other organs. Depending on the location of the ovum, an ectopic pregnancy is divided into a cervical, ovarian, abdominal.But most often the zygote gets stuck on the way to the uterus and attaches to the wall of the fallopian tube - this is the most common type of ectopic pregnancy.

Such a state can be extremely dangerous, since the fertilized egg grows and is rapidly increasing in size. This can lead to a rupture of surrounding tissue and causes internal bleeding. An ectopic pregnancy is considered a serious indication for immediate medical attention, otherwise a woman may die from blood loss. But how to prevent this situation? How to recognize ectopic pregnancy before fallopian tube rupture?

Causes of ectopic pregnancy

Until now, doctors can not in all cases identify the cause of the development of ectopic pregnancy. But there are several factors that increase the risk of developing pathology.

1. Various inflammatory processes in the reproductive system of a woman can lead to a contraction of the fallopian tubes. Because of this, the passage of the ovum through them is difficult, it gets stuck, and has not reached the uterus.
2. The patency of the pipes may be impaired after various surgical interventions.
3. Sometimes the fertilized egg cannot get into the uterus because the fallopian tubes are too long, curvy or narrow. Unfortunately, such anatomical features can cause the development of ectopic pregnancy.
4. Ectopic pregnancy often occurs after artificial insemination.
5. The permeability of the pipes may be impaired due to various tumors and neoplasms in the area of ​​the pipes.
6. Normally, the fertilized egg moves through the fallopian tubes due to small villi that move it in the right direction. The movement of these villi is provided by hormones. If the body hormonal failure, the advancement of the ovum stops, it is fixed outside the uterus.
7. Some women try to drink contraceptives with a reduced amount of estrogen, based on progestogen or progestin. In some cases, if a woman takes such contraceptives other than prescribed by a doctor, they can lead to an ectopic pregnancy.
8. Spiral for contraception can also cause an ectopic pregnancy.Normally, it mechanically closes the path from the fallopian tubes to the uterus, not allowing the ovum to consolidate in the uterus. But no one is immune from the fact that the zygote is located where it was allowed - right in the pipes. Failure of the contraceptive coils may occur due to the long period of their use - this item must be changed in a timely manner.

If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, ultrasound of the pelvic organs is performed, the analysis of hCG over time (for several days in a row), as well as the analysis of progesterone. With an ectopic pregnancy, the amount of progesterone is lower than with a healthy one, and the hCG rate rises very slowly or does not stand at all.

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy proceeds with many obvious symptoms, but they are often mistaken for ordinary toxemia. In the early stages, you need to carefully monitor your feelings and, if necessary, contact the antenatal clinic as soon as possible.

1. Normally, during pregnancy, the lower abdomen should not pull or ache. An early painful sensation may indicate a threatened miscarriage or ectopic attachment of the ovum.
2. If the pain is felt on one side, then most likely the fallopian tube makes itself felt - the one in which the fertilized egg was attached. That is why the pain is localized on the right or left. But if the embryo is attached in the abdominal part, the pain may be in the middle. Often, pain during ectopic pregnancy gives the lower back and rectum.
3. Often the pain during ectopic pregnancy increases during movement, walking, getting out of bed, etc.
4. The pain tends to increase with time, that is, as the embryo grows and grows in size. If the fetus is fixed in the widest part of the fallopian tube, the pain begins to bother at the 7th obstetric week, if in the narrow part it is already at 4-5 weeks. As a rule, it is at this time that pregnancy is detected. If the ovum is fixed in the ovary, the pain develops even earlier - at about the fourth week.
5. Spotting is another important symptom. Often, it is he who forces women to go for an examination. If there is a lot of blood, most likely, the ovum is fixed in the area of ​​the cervix. The fact is that there are a lot of blood vessels in this area and bleeding can be extremely dangerous - a woman can die from blood loss.Sometimes, in order to save a patient’s life, she has to remove the uterus completely. Of course, this is an undesirable measure, however, choosing between the life of a woman and her ability to have children in the future, doctors are forced to choose the first.
6. Testing for hCG can also be used to detect ectopic pregnancy. If a woman’s pregnancy is proceeding normally, the level of hCG increases rapidly. That is, today the test showed a weak second strip, and tomorrow the strip is already significant. In ectopic pregnancy, the rate of hCG rises uncertainly, slowly. It happens that the test does not respond, because HCG is too low. Then you need to donate blood for analysis, and several times, in order to check the readings over time.
7. With ectopic pregnancy, nausea and vomiting are particularly pronounced. You should not rely on toxicosis - you need to check as soon as possible.
8. If the fertilized egg is located in the abdominal cavity, the woman may experience pain when urinating and defecating. This suggests that the zygote is attached near the bladder and intestines.
9. The general condition of a woman is also changing - she feels apathy, drowsiness, discomfort, and indisposition.The same feelings can occur during normal pregnancy, but with uterine, they are extremely pronounced.
10. Scanty menstrual flow can also become a symptom of ectopic pregnancy. In fact, this is internal bleeding, which is often mistaken for menstruation.
11. Together with the specific symptoms of ectopic pregnancy, a woman has the usual signs that are also characteristic of a healthy pregnancy - an increase, tenderness and fullness of the breast, a change of mood, a feeling of general malaise.

If the ectopic pregnancy has been brought to such a state that the egg of the rupture of the neighboring organs,a woman may feel acute unbearable pain in the lower abdomen. After prolonged blood loss, fainting is possible. With these symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. To diagnose ectopic pregnancy can be using ultrasound. It can be both traditional and vaginal. A fetal egg is difficult to determine in the ovaries and the abdominal cavity, so if a doctor does not find a zygote in the uterus on an ultrasound, an ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed. But what could cause such a pathology?

Ectopic pregnancy - what to do?

The earlier a woman seeks medical help, the more favorable the prognosis for her treatment will be. With timely treatment, laparoscopic surgery is performed. Through a tiny hole, the doctor passes a small chamber into the cavity of the tubes and finds a fertilized egg, which is immediately removed. With severe symptoms, when the fertilized egg breaks the fallopian tube, everything is removed along with the tube. Despite such an operation, a woman may well have children, because she is left with a second healthy tube.

After the operation, it is necessary to undergo an examination and understand what could have contributed to the development of an ectopic pregnancy. If it was triggered by tumors and neoplasms, then the issue of surgery is resolved, with hormonal failure, appropriate treatment is carried out. After ectopic pregnancy, you need to protect yourself for about six months. It is difficult to answer the question about the possibility of re-ectopic pregnancy - it all depends on the anatomical features of each individual female body. However, in order to reduce the risk of developing an ectopic pregnancy in the future, it is necessary to be carefully examined at the planning stage of the child. This will allow you to be treated in advance and eliminate the risk of developing many pathologies in the body of the mother and the future baby.

Ectopic pregnancy is a serious diagnosis. Another 3-4 decades ago, women were admitted to the hospital with this diagnosis only at the late stage of the disease, when the tubes were torn and severe bleeding opened. Then, in order to save the woman, she completely removed all reproductive organs, she could never again become a mother.Fortunately, the current conditions of diagnosis and surgery can correct the situation quickly, and most importantly, without consequences. Consult a doctor in time to save your female health. It has been proven that more than half of women who have had an ectopic pregnancy subsequently become mothers again. This is a great result!

Video: How to determine ectopic pregnancy