A ruptured fallopian tube can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. If you have sudden, severe pain; shoulder pain; or weakness, you should go to an emergency room.
If you do not have the symptoms of a fallopian tube rupture but your ob-gyn or other health care professional suspects you may have ectopic pregnancy, he or she may:. Perform an ultrasound exam to see where the pregnancy is developing. Test your blood for a pregnancy hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin hCG. An ectopic pregnancy cannot move or be moved to the uterus, so it always requires treatment.
There are two methods used to treat an ectopic pregnancy: 1 medication and 2 surgery. Several weeks of follow-up are required with each treatment. The most common drug used to treat ectopic pregnancy is methotrexate. This drug stops cells from growing, which ends the pregnancy. The pregnancy then is absorbed by the body over 4—6 weeks. This does not require the removal of the fallopian tube. Methotrexate may be used if the pregnancy has not ruptured a fallopian tube.
Several factors go into the decision to use methotrexate. One of the most important factors is your ability to follow up with blood tests that check your blood levels of hCG. You will not be able to use methotrexate if you are breastfeeding or have certain health problems.
Methotrexate often is given by injection in one dose. Before you take methotrexate, blood tests will be done to measure the level of hCG and the functions of certain organs. If hCG levels have not decreased enough after the first dose, another dose of methotrexate may be recommended.
You will have careful follow-up over time until hCG is no longer found in your blood. Taking methotrexate can have some side effects. Most women have some abdominal pain. Vaginal bleeding or spotting also may occur. Other side effects may include:. It is important to follow up with your ob-gyn or other health care professional until your treatment with methotrexate is complete.
The risk of a fallopian tube rupture does not go away until your treatment is over. Seek care right away if you have symptoms of a rupture, including sudden abdominal pain, shoulder pain, or weakness. Vitamins and foods that contain folic acid, including fortified cereal, enriched bread and pasta, peanuts, dark green leafy vegetables, orange juice, and beans.
These medications can affect the way methotrexate works in the body. Foods that produce gas, which can cause discomfort and mask the pain of a possible rupture of a fallopian tube.
If the ectopic pregnancy has ruptured a tube, emergency surgery is needed. Sometimes surgery is needed even if the fallopian tube has not ruptured. In these cases, the ectopic pregnancy can be removed from the tube, or the entire tube with the pregnancy can be removed. Surgery typically is done with laparoscopy. Patients: A total number of 6, cases of EP in 27 case control studies and 13, exposed women in 9 cohort studies.
Main outcome measures: Detected studies were tested for homogeneity. Results: Previous EP, previous tubal surgery, documented tubal pathology, and in utero diethylstilbestrol DES exposure were found to be associated strongly with the occurrence of EP. If you were treated with methotrexate, it's usually recommended that you wait at least 3 months because the medicine could harm your baby if you become pregnant during this time. Most women who have had an ectopic pregnancy will be able to get pregnant again, even if they've had a fallopian tube removed.
Occasionally, it may be necessary to use fertility treatment such as IVF. If you do become pregnant again, it's a good idea to let your GP know as soon as possible so early scans can be carried out to check everything is OK.
In many cases, it's not clear why a woman has an ectopic pregnancy. Sometimes it happens when there's a problem with the fallopian tubes, such as them being narrow or blocked. You can't always prevent an ectopic pregnancy, but you can reduce your risk by using a condom when not trying for a baby to protect yourself against STIs, and by stopping smoking if you smoke. Page last reviewed: 27 November Next review due: 27 November Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy An ectopic pregnancy doesn't always cause symptoms and may only be detected during a routine pregnancy scan.
If you do have symptoms, they tend to develop between the 4th and 12th week of pregnancy. Symptoms can include a combination of: a missed period and other signs of pregnancy tummy pain low down on 1 side vaginal bleeding or a brown watery discharge pain in the tip of your shoulder discomfort when peeing or pooing But these symptoms aren't necessarily a sign of a serious problem.
When to get medical advice Contact your GP or call NHS if you have a combination of any of the above symptoms and you might be pregnant — even if you haven't had a positive pregnancy test. An ectopic pregnancy can be serious, so it's important to get advice right away.
Read more about ectopic pregnancy tests. How an ectopic pregnancy is treated There are 3 main treatments for an ectopic pregnancy: expectant management — you're carefully monitored and 1 of the treatments below is used if the fertilised egg doesn't dissolve by itself medication — an injection of a powerful medicine called methotrexate is used to stop the pregnancy growing surgery — keyhole surgery laparoscopy is performed under general anaesthetic to remove the fertilised egg, usually along with the affected fallopian tube You'll be told about the benefits and risks of each option.
Help and support after an ectopic pregnancy Losing a pregnancy can be devastating, and many women feel the same sense of grief as if they had lost a family member or partner.
Support groups for people who have been affected by loss of a pregnancy can also help.
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