Signs of an ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the sperm has successfully fertilized the egg, but instead of going down the fallopian tube and fixing on the wall of the uterus, the ovum remained in the fallopian tube (most often), rose higher into the ovary (less often), or even went into the abdominal cavity (very rare) and attached there. Such a pregnancy does not have a chance of successful bearing, it refers to conditions that threaten a woman's life. The earlier an ectopic pregnancy is detected and the sooner it is eliminated, the lower the health risk and the greater the chances of a subsequent normal pregnancy.
It is not easy to recognize this condition in the early stages, since the first signs of an ectopic pregnancy are very similar to a normal pregnancy. Deviations in health are similar to normal toxicosis, and when minor bleeding is added, they are similar to an incipient miscarriage. The first signs of an ectopic pregnancy include malaise, pain in the lower abdomen, and small, so-called smearing bleeding. The pain in this case is characterized by one-sided localization, namely on the side where the ovum is attached, the pain is quite strong, stabbing or pulling.
Usually, the first signs of an ectopic pregnancy appear in a woman at 5-10 weeks. In order not to miss this condition, you need to remember that nausea and malaise can also be a manifestation of toxicosis, but pain in the pelvic area is always a reason for immediate medical attention, as well as bleeding, even if it is very slight. Spilled pain with bleeding may indicate an incipient miscarriage, localized one-sided with and without bleeding may be the first sign of an ectopic pregnancy.
To be sure that the signs indicate the presence of an ectopic pregnancy, they need to be confirmed using two studies.
The first is to determine the level of chorionic gonadotropin, a substance that reliably indicates whether a woman is pregnant. If the analysis showed pregnancy, an ultrasound examination is performed, and the most informative is the transvaginal method, when the sensor is inserted into the woman's genital tract.
The absence of the ovum in the uterus makes it highly likely to suspect an ectopic pregnancy. For the final confirmation of the first signs of an ectopic pregnancy, diagnostic laparoscopy is performed, which allows the embryo to be detected at the attachment site.
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