Why can women have an ectopic pregnancy during pregnancy?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Obstetrician and Gynecologist.

1. What is an ectopic pregnancy?

A pregnancy that is not inside the uterus but is located outside the uterus is called an ectopic pregnancy. Up to 95% of ectopic pregnancy occurs in the fallopian tube at the location of the tube, the ampulla, the isthmus, or the will, the remaining 5% of the ectopic pregnancy occurs in other locations such as the ovary, the fossa, or the ovary. abdomen, cervix, or at previous cesarean sections.
Ectopic pregnancy can occur in both sides of the fallopian tubes, but this case is very rare, accounting for 1 in 200,000 pregnancies. The most rare case is a multiple pregnancy with one fetus located in the correct position in the mother's uterus, the other outside the uterus.

2. What causes ectopic pregnancy to form?

There are many cases of ectopic pregnancy with no obvious cause, women who have a normal first pregnancy until the next pregnancy can also have an ectopic pregnancy.
Sometimes, the cause is not as important as the factors and risk of developing an ectopic pregnancy because you can prevent and prevent it. Factors for ectopic pregnancy include:
Women with a history of ectopic pregnancy Women who have had previous tubal surgery, pelvic surgery Women with pelvic inflammatory disease Having a Some sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, genital warts, syphilis, genital herpes...

Some factors increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy:
Women who smoke or smoke cigarettes indirectly from those around Women over 35 years of age have a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy than the general population Women diagnosed Diagnosis of infertility Using some methods of conception such as: artificial insemination, sperm injection ...

3. Signs of ectopic pregnancy

There are many cases of pregnant women having an ectopic pregnancy with no known cause, so during pregnancy, the mother should pay special attention to the signs or symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy:
3.1 Late period A missed period (or missed period) is the first sign for a woman to know if she is pregnant or not. If you notice this sign, you should see a doctor to determine whether the fetus is stable inside the uterus or not or you are having an ectopic pregnancy.
3.2 Bleeding Hemorrhage usually occurs in people with ectopic pregnancy with less blood, darker bruising than normal menstrual bleeding, less bleeding, no clotting and lasting. However, this usually occurs before or after a normal period, so it should not be noticeable to you.
3.3 Lower Abdominal Pain Persistent dull lower abdominal pain, which may be unilateral and sometimes sharp, is a common sign of an ectopic pregnancy.
In addition to the above signs, you can directly visit the doctor to determine the condition of your body if you suspect an ectopic pregnancy. Ultrasound combined with blood tests measuring βhCG levels is the method commonly used to diagnose ectopic pregnancy.
However, for cases of ectopic pregnancy that have not broken, it is difficult for the doctor to diagnose, then you will be assigned to perform laparoscopy to accurately determine the condition, this is a quick method. , efficiency and accuracy rate up to nearly 100%.

4. Why is an ectopic pregnancy a concern of pregnant women?

Ectopic pregnancy is extremely dangerous for pregnant women if not detected and treated promptly. When the fetus outside the uterus grows large enough, it will burst and cause bleeding, if not treated, the bleeding inside the mother will happen quickly and can lead to death if not controlled. timely blood.
Many cases of ectopic pregnancy are not detected early, leading to stillbirth, causing many adverse effects on the mother's health.
In case it can be treated in time, the mother's body also has many effects on her health and fertility later on:
Increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy for the next time: This number is as high as 7 -13 times more than someone who has never had an ectopic pregnancy. Infertility: According to research, more than 50% of women who have had an ectopic pregnancy are at risk of infertility after a hysterectomy.

5. How to effectively treat ectopic pregnancy?

Currently, there are two ways to treat ectopic pregnancy: laparoscopic surgery and medical treatment:
5.1 Laparoscopic surgery This is a commonly used method because it has many advantages such as quick cure time , painless and use less antibiotics, short hospital stay and patients recover quickly to return to work and daily activities.
However, because this is surgery, there are still possible postoperative complications such as complications from anesthesia, damage to internal organs and the cost of this method is also quite high.

5.2 Medical treatment This is a treatment method that uses drugs to kill the fetus and then the mother's body will automatically absorb that fetal mass. This method has many advantages such as high success rate up to 95%, patients do not have to perform surgery, avoid postoperative complications, low cost of implementation. However, this method is only used for ectopic pregnancy with a size of less than 4cm, no fetal heart and unbroken fetal mass.
Ectopic pregnancy is extremely dangerous, if not detected early and treated promptly, it will cause internal bleeding, dangerous to the life of the pregnant woman. Therefore, when you suspect that you are pregnant or have symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy or are in a group at high risk of ectopic pregnancy, you should immediately go to a medical facility for examination. Usually, doctors will use ultrasound to make a diagnosis. Ultrasound results depend a lot on the skill of the technician and the equipment. You should choose a reputable medical facility to get the most accurate results.

Equipped with modern ultrasound machine system, newly imported from the US, Singapore, UK, Canada, Korea, Japan,... effectively supporting the diagnosis, Vinmec International General Hospital also gathers a team of leading experts in Obstetrics and Gynecology, ready to accompany women and pregnant women.
After the examination results are available, the doctor will analyze and advise in detail on the appropriate treatment method according to the progress, size of ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy status. Therefore, if you find yourself in a high-risk group or experience unusual symptoms, you should register directly at the website for service.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.