Ectopic pregnancy is a dangerous pathology in which a fertilized egg begins to develop outside the uterine cavity. And if a woman is not provided with help in time, she may die from extensive blood loss and shock. How can you distinguish between abnormal and normal pregnancies?
Instructions
Step 1
Ectopic pregnancies are uncommon, accounting for about 1–2 percent of all pregnancies. Most often it occurs due to dysfunction of the fallopian tubes, adhesions and obstruction. The risk group includes women who have had genital infections (gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc.), inflammatory diseases of the genital organs, endometriosis. All women who have an increased likelihood of developing an ectopic pregnancy should visit a gynecologist at the slightest suspicion of pathology.
Step 2
At the very beginning, the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are no different from those of a uterine pregnancy: a woman has a delay in menstruation, the mammary glands swell, drowsiness, nausea, weakness, etc. appear. Only a doctor can determine whether a uterine pregnancy is not.
Step 3
The analysis for the presence of the hormone chorionic gonadotropin also reveals it in both uterine and ectopic pregnancy. But if the concentration of hCG is slightly lower than the due date, the doctor may suspect a pathological pregnancy. Sometimes, in this case, this hormone is so small that a home test does not respond to it.
Step 4
Quite often, with an ectopic pregnancy on the days when menstruation should have been, bloody discharge appears, which is a consequence of the reaction of the endometrium to the ovum in the fallopian tube. This symptom is sometimes confused with menstruation or miscarriage.
Step 5
An ectopic pregnancy can be suspected by an unusually meager or delayed menstruation. In this case, get a pregnancy test or hCG test. And if the result is positive, contact your gynecologist. He will most likely order additional tests to determine the increase in hCG. In uterine pregnancy, the amount of the hormone doubles every two days. If this does not happen, the pregnancy may be ectopic.
Step 6
Ultrasound examination can determine uterine pregnancy with a hCG level of 1800 IU (for a period of about 5 weeks). If, with such an amount of hormone, the ovum in the uterus is not visible, the risk of ectopic pregnancy is very high.
Step 7
If, if an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, the woman's condition worsens, she is prescribed laparoscopy. For this examination, the internal organs are examined with a thin telescope. When the diagnosis is confirmed, the ovum is removed.
Step 8
Fortunately, with the help of laparoscopy, it is very often possible to preserve the fallopian tube, which allows a woman to count on a normal pregnancy in the future. To increase this likelihood, before the planned conception, it is advisable to check this method again to determine the condition of the pelvic organs and fallopian tubes.
