| 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.
Woman With Half An Ovary Gives Birth to Baby Boy
A woman with just half an ovary, who had all but given up on having a baby, has given birth to a baby boy, according to Britain's Daily Mail. Trudi Siviter, who was left with just part of her left ovary after suffering cancer of the cervix as a teen, had two ectopic pregnancies as an adult and three failed attempts at in-vitro fertilization. Doctors said what was left of her ovary was not functioning properly and believed her womb was not strong enough to carry a child. But three months before having a complete hysterectomy, the 39-year-old discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth naturally to a son at Staffordshire General Hospital in the United Kingdom on Dec. 7. Alfie was born eight months into the pregnancy and weighed just 3 pounds, 8 ounces, but doctors say he is healthy.
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