| 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.
Ectopic pregnancies - pregnancy-related deaths
"Ampulla" are the nodes inside the fallopian tube that push the embryo down into the uterus. You CAN NOT cause yourself to have an ectopic pregnancy. However, if possible, avoid the risks factors before you get pregnant-you may be able to significantly decrease your chances of having an ectopic pregnancy.
However, an ectopic pregnancy is not always the result of an obvious defect. It can be a "fluke"--many women who are diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy do not have a recognizable risk factor or diagnosis. Pray that this is true in your case, but please take all cautionary measure available before attempting to conceive again.
Ectopic pregnancies are the second leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the first trimester and account for 9% of all pregnancy-related deaths in this America.
If left untreated, an ectopic pregnancy may be potentially life-threatening, as there is a chance of the tube bursting, resulting in serious internal bleeding.
Ectopic pregnancy is a very serious condition
About 97% of ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tube. The remainder implant in the abdominal cavity, on the ovary, or within the cervix. Heterotopic pregnancies occur in one of these areas, while there is also a pregnancy in the uterus. Approximately 100,000 ectopic pregnancies occur each year. Approximately 1 in 66 women will experience this type of pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a very serious condition. When the pregnancy grows in these abnormal areas, it can easily cause massive, rapid bleeding, and even death.
Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the Fallopian tube (so-called tubal pregnancies), but implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovaries, and abdomen. The fetus produces enzymes that allow it to implant in varied types of tissues, and thus an embryo implanted elsewhere than the uterus can cause great tissue damage in its efforts to reach a sufficient supply of blood.
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