Please click here to visit our sponsor





Please click here to visit our sponsor

What is an Ectopic Pregnancy?


Ectopic is another way of saying "out of place". An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere outside of the uterus. Although most ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes, embryos can also implant in the ovaries, abdomen or cervix. None of these sites will provide the fertilized egg with enough space or nutrients to properly develop, and the resulting fetus will eventually rupture the space that it inhabits, usually causing extensive bleeding that will endanger the mother's life.

Since most early pregnancy symptoms, missed periods, nausea and breast tenderness, also occur in ectopic pregnancies, these pregnancies can be difficult to detect. However, pain can be the first indication of a problem, and blood loss from the rupture of the implantation site also causes low blood pressure, dizziness or fainting. Some ectopic pregnancies present with lower back pain and sharp pain in the pelvis or abdomen.

A quantitative blood test to measure the traces of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (HCG) in the blood is often used in the initial diagnosis. If the hormone levels are lower than expected, an ectopic pregnancy may be the cause. The blood test is often followed with a pelvic or ultrasound exam to check for the presence of the developing fetus in the uterus. Another test, called a culdoncentesis, is used to check for internal bleeding and involves the insertion of a needle into the top of the vagina and behind the uterus. Blood present in this area is usually caused by a ruptured ectopic pregnancy.

Treatments for this type of pregnancy vary depending on the location and size. Methotrexate can be injected into the earliest stages of the pregnancy to dissolve the fertilized egg. However, as the pregnancy progresses, laparoscopy or surgery may be needed to remove the fetus.

Maria writes for Pregnancy Due Date, a site that tries to information for expectant mothers. For more great pregnancy articles, visit our Pregnancy articles archive.




Man flees courthouse just before being convicted of sexual assault ...
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jul 18, 2008
... for a Garden Grove hospital employee who fled a courthouse just before a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting six patients in a maternity ward. ...
Blood tech facing sex abuse charges disappears during deliberations OCRegister
Man flees Santa Ana court before jury convicts him San Diego Union Tribune
Sexual assault convict flees from court abc7.com
WZTV - Los Angeles Times
all 98 news articles


New salvos over maternity leave
Times Online, UK - 53 minutes ago
Her four breaks on maternity leave, starting in the 1970s, lasted just 16 weeks each. At the end of this year working women will be able to take a paid year ...


Theft teams target maternity wards
NEWS.com.au, Australia - 8 hours ago
In most cases, the pair targets maternity wards, preying on women who have just given birth. After stealing their wallets, they use their victims' credit ...


A bumpy road ahead for mums in the workplace
Scotsman, United Kingdom - Jul 18, 2008
Improvements to maternity leave have no doubt been welcome news to families across the country, offering more financial stability for women who want to ...


Maternity leave 'could be hurting job prospects'
Independent, UK - Jul 14, 2008
She asked: "Has policy on maternity leave made too many assumptions about the choices families will make and as a result entrenched stereotypes that it is ...


Maternity rights damage women's job prospects
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul 17, 2008
And many were also supportive of women taking time off for maternity leave. On the whole, they were not grasping ogres but employers who wished to be fair ...


Women at work: Unions alarmed by claim maternity rights may harm ...
guardian.co.uk, UK - Jul 14, 2008
Trade unions reacted with alarm yesterday to suggestions that enhanced maternity rights are damaging the long-term employment prospects of women. ...


Maternity reforms ‘threaten women’s jobs’
WalesOnline, United Kingdom - Jul 14, 2008
THE radical extension of maternity leave could be sabotaging women’s careers, the head of the new equality watchdog has warned. Employers are now “thinking ...


Balancing equality and maternity
Times Online, UK - Jul 15, 2008
On principle maternity rights are sexist and damage the position of women in business if they are too generous. Expressing breast milk at work is not easy ...


Rule 13: You don’t have to love your maternity leave
Spiked, UK - Jul 17, 2008
This month, she argues that extending maternity leave is a poor substitute for a social solution to the problem of childcare. At last, someone has said it: ...

Maternity - Google News

home | site map

© 2006 www.elearn-university.org