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Ectopic Pregnancies - Worst Nightmare
Ectopic pregnancies are sometimes difficult to diagnose. An ectopic pregnancy is suspected if a woman has symptoms of a late menses, irregular vaginal bleeding, or abdominal pain. Shoulder pain and a feeling of rectal pressure is also associated with ectopic pregnancy. However, some women have no symptoms (other than those of pregnancy), making the diagnosis difficult at times.
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
If a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, it's called an ectopic pregnancy. One in 50 pregnancies ends this way.
Here's how it happens: After conception, the fertilized egg travels down your fallopian tube on its way to your uterus. If the tube is damaged or blocked and fails to propel the egg toward your womb, the egg may become implanted in the tube and continue to develop there. Because almost all ectopic pregnancies occur in one of the fallopian tubes, they're often called "tubal" pregnancies.
The minipill (progestogen-only Pill, or POP)
If you enjoy a good sex life, you almost certainly want to protect yourself against unwanted pregnancy. The minipill can do that for you. But you have to remember to take it every single day of the year. No breaks at all - even when you're on your period. It's not quite as effective as the ordinary Pill, but it's a good deal freer of side effects. And it's particularly useful for some groups of women who cannot take the Pill - for instance, new mums who are breast-feeding. However, it does have some disadvantages, and we'll tell you about them in a moment. What is the minipill? There's a lot of confusion about this name. Many women don't understand it - and, regrettably, even a few doctors have got the wrong end of the stick about it! The minipill is not just a low-dose version of the Pill.
Pregnant Kidman can't shake that snapper
A familiar face has cropped up in the paparazzi slip stream which has pursued Nicole Kidman around Sydney this week: Jamie Fawcett. Kidman and Fawcett have a long history, he being the celebrity photo hunter, she being his prized game. It's a cat-and-mouse relationship which has delivered several visits to various courtrooms over the years, including December's emotion-charged testimony by Kidman in Fawcett's defamation action against the Sun Herald. However this week Fawcett's name has appeared under several of the key photographs of Kidman that have appeared since she announced her pregnancy, from visiting the gym to getting in and out of cars. He even made Channel Ten news on Tuesday, pulling up outside Kidman's Darling Point home and talking to other paparazzi, to which Fawcett told smh.com.au: "so what".
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