Types of ectopic pregnancy. How to recognize an ectopic pregnancy

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

One of the most dangerous pathologies in the field of gynecology is an ectopic pregnancy. Fortunately, it does not occur so often and not in all women. The types of ectopic pregnancy, its symptoms and methods of treatment will be discussed in this article.

Short description

The conception of an embryo involves the fertilization of an egg. Normally, a fertilized egg should attach to the wall of the uterus. If it attaches outside of the uterus, it is called an ectopic pregnancy.

Classification by location

There are several types of ectopic pregnancy. First of all, pathology is classified according to local features.

1. Tube type is the most common. It is diagnosed in approximately 93-95% of cases. Normally, the egg must travel through the tube and enter the uterine cavity. If for some reason this does not happen, then the embryo remains in one of the tubular sections.
2. Ovarian, interligamentous, or abdominal type are extremely rare, eachwhich occurs only in 2-3% of cases. The reason for the development of pathology is the casting and attachment of a fertilized egg in the ovary, abdominal cavity or large ligaments of the uterus.

If the attachment is incorrect, further development of the embryo is impossible. A patient with such a pathology is having an abortion. It is best to perform this procedure as soon as possible, as there is a high risk of the most dangerous consequences of an ectopic pregnancy - rupture of the tube, ovarian tissue or ligaments.

Stages of pathology

There are several types of ectopic pregnancy, which are classified according to the stages of development of the pathology.

1. Fertilization of the egg and its attachment outside the uterine cavity.
2. The appearance of the first prerequisites for spontaneous abortion: rupture of the tube or ovarian tissue.
3. Final abortion.

The sooner the patient detects a pathological pregnancy, the sooner she can have an abortion surgically. This will allow her to maintain her he alth and avoid adverse consequences.

Custom cases

When it comes to types of ectopic pregnancy, it is worth talking separately about non-standard cases.

There are cases of simultaneous development of uterine and ectopic pregnancy. This happens when one fertilized egg has reached the desired position, while the other has not. In this case, doctors take all possible measures to carry out an abortion without harming the uterine cavity. There is a high risksaving one baby.

Also possible multiple ectopic pregnancy, which is terminated spontaneously or surgically.

Reason for development

The first ectopic pregnancy is always stressful and shocking. Women begin to wonder why this happened to them.

There are several reasons for this phenomenon:

1. Individual characteristics of the organism. Many women are diagnosed with a congenital anomaly: obstruction of the fallopian tubes or the presence of additional fallopian tubes. Such a pathology makes it impossible for the egg to move to the right place.
2. Contraception. Theoretically, the intrauterine device reduces the risk of pregnancy. In practice, there are cases that conception still occurs, but outside the uterus. Some contraceptive pills, such as Mini-Pili, can lead to a similar result.
3. Hormonal failure or the presence of neoplasms in the pelvis.
4. Artificial insemination. According to statistics, every 20th IVF leads to the development of an ectopic pregnancy.

Not always the "culprit" of the formation of such a pathology is a woman. It can also develop because of her partner. For example, the reason for this may be a weak motor activity of spermatozoa.

Factors that increase the risk of abnormal pregnancy

Experienced gynecologists have been conducting research for several decades. Medical professionals have been able to identify several factors in which the riskabnormal pregnancy is markedly increased:

• The introduction of the wrong way of life. If a woman smokes and drinks alcohol for a long time, then the risk of any kind of problems during conception and bearing a baby increases several times. A secondary factor may include living or working in adverse conditions.
• Previous abortion or forced curettage.
• If a woman has already had an ectopic pregnancy, then the probability that it will occur again increases by 7-13 times.
• People with sexually transmitted infections or endocrine diseases are at risk.

It is worth noting that the absence of the above factors does not guarantee that the anomaly will not develop.

Symptoms

Ectopic and uterine pregnancy in the early stages develop in exactly the same way: there is a delay in the menstrual cycle, pulling pains appear in the lower abdomen, breasts increase and nipples coarsen. If you do a test, it will show two stripes. How to recognize an ectopic pregnancy at an early stage? You should be on the lookout for multiple symptoms.

1. As mentioned earlier, the test will give a positive result. But in most cases, one strip is noticeably paler than the second. Moreover, with an increase in the duration of pregnancy, its intensity will noticeably decrease.
2. Pain in the lower abdomen. At first it will be light and pulling, but with eachday will begin to become stronger. Gradually, the woman will begin to feel discomfort on only one side. When tilting the body and moving from one side to another, discomfort will appear.
3. Scanty spotting.
4. In rare cases, there is an increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees.

If any suspicious symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and take appropriate diagnostic measures.

Detection methods

There are two ways to recognize an ectopic pregnancy. The first one is carried out in the laboratory. A woman needs to donate blood for the hCG hormone. If the indicators are below the norm, then the development of an abnormal pregnancy is possible. However, this method cannot be called accurate. The hCG hormone may be below normal due to late ovulation.

The surest way to detect the wrong location of the embryo - ultrasound. Thus, it is possible to determine an ectopic pregnancy from the second week of delay, that is, when 5-7 weeks have passed since conception. A presumptive diagnosis is made if, at a high level of hCG, there is no fetal egg in the uterine cavity. Additionally, a transvaginal ultrasound is performed, which will determine exactly where the fertilized egg has attached.

Treatment

What to do about an ectopic pregnancy? Unfortunately, the full further development of the fetus under such circumstances is impossible. Pregnancy is terminated in two ways: medical and surgical. It is important to take action as soon as possible. Only in this case will it be possible to avoid adverse consequences.

The drug method is the most gentle. Its essence lies in the fact that a special drug "Methotrexate" is injected into the woman's body. Under its influence, the fetus dies, dissolves and spontaneously leaves the woman's genitals.

Surgical method (laparoscopy) is performed quite often. Its essence is to remove the fetal egg. Produced under general anesthesia. The smaller the embryo at the time of the operation, the better. In this case, the fallopian tube will not be damaged, and the patient will be able to maintain reproductive functions.

After termination of pregnancy, the patient should be under the supervision of specialists for 1-2 weeks. In a hospital, rehabilitation measures are being taken to restore her he alth.

Reviews

Abnormal fetal position occurs in 2-3% of all pregnancies. In recent years, the number of women with this pathology has increased markedly. On ladies' forums, you can often find reviews of ectopic pregnancy. Mostly female representatives write that they managed to identify the anomaly in the early stages and eliminate it in a timely manner, which made it possible to avoid adverse consequences. Often, with repeated attempts to conceive, the fertilized egg again occupied a position outside the uterine cavity.

Ectopic pregnancy is a very dangerous phenomenon that can lead to infertility,the development of gross pathologies, diseases of the genital organs and even death. It is very important to identify it in the early stages.