Understanding Ectopic Pregnancy

via columbusobgyn.com

"In a normal pregnancy, a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. In an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg does not make it to the uterus and implants somewhere else. An ectopic pregnancy most often occurs in the fallopian tube, causing a “tubal pregnancy.” However, they can occur in other locations, such as the ovary, cervix, and abdominal cavity.

In the developed world, between 1% and 2% of all reported pregnancies are ectopic pregnancies. The incidence is thought to be higher in developing countries, but specific numbers are unknown. Ectopic pregnancy is a considerable cause of maternal morbidity, causing acute symptoms such as pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding and long-term problems such as infertility. Early treatment of an ectopic pregnancy can help preserve the chance for future healthy pregnancies. It is a common cause of morbidity and occasionally of mortality in women of reproductive age.

"The aetiology of ectopic pregnancy remains uncertain although a number of risk factors have been identified. Most risk factors are associated with risks of prior damage to the Fallopian tube. Chlamydia trachomatis has been linked to 30-50% of all ectopic pregnancies. The exact mechanism of this association is not known but it has been proposed that in addition to distortion of tubal architecture, it may to be due to an effect on the tubal microenvironment.

Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy:

Although a woman with ectopic pregnancy may have no identifiable risk factors, a woman might be more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy who has following risk factors.

Fallopian tube damage

• Previous tubal surgery (including female sterilisation) and pelvic surgery including Caesarean section and ovarian cystectomy
• Previous abdominal surgery including appendicectomy and bowel surgery
• Confirmed genital infection and pelvic inflammatory disease, commonly caused by chlamydial infection

Infertility

• Documented tubal disease
• Assisted reproductive technology: In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is associated with an ectopic pregnancy risk of 2-5% and it may be higher than this where there is tubal disease..."

Learn more:

http://www.ijogr.com/blog/2015/understanding-ectopic-pregnancy/