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A tubal pregnancy is medically known as ectopic pregnancy, which is a pregnancy that occurs outside a mother's uterus (womb). Ectopic literally means "out of place." Generally, after being fertilized (i.e. after the ovum and sperm have successfully met), an embryo (the combined ovum and sperm) implants itself in the woman's womb and begins to grow and develop. From time-to-time, however, the embryo might accidentally attach elsewhere along its path to the uterus and start growing in the abnormal site, where it doesn’t have the normal environment for being developed. Such sites can include the:
- Fallopian tubes (the tubes leading from the ovaries to the uterus, down to what a fertilized ovum travels for implanting itself in the womb). Most ectopic pregnancies take place in the fallopian tubes.
- Cervix (at the opening of the uterus)
- Ovary (the organs that produce the ovum (woman ovum))
- Abdominal cavities
What Happens in Fertilization?
The meeting of the sperm and ovum, known as fertilization, occurs in a one of a woman's fallopian tubes. Fallopian tubes are the tubal structure that connects the ovaries to the uterus/womb. The fertilized ovum, now called as the embryo, floats down the fallopiantube and in the uterus. The uterus is the place wherein the embryo generally implants itself and starts to grow and develop into an infant.
An ultrasound of the pelvis probably can be done for determining wherein the pregnancy is situated and an ultrasound is a form of imaging that uses the sound waves. It is not at all troublesome as it uses an electronic device or a kind of probe that is placed on the uterus/lower pelvic region that is connected to a television monitor. While examining the lower abdomen and pelvic region, a doctor comes to know about tubal pregnancy. A more sensitive ultrasound test is the one that uses a special device that is to be inserted into the vagina very carefully.
However, during any period, if the bleeding occurs or becomes severe or becomes life threatening, the pregnant woman is taken immediately to the operating room. Sometimes the pregnancy has not fully grown adequately to be detected by ultrasound. If the bleeding and pain are not so intense, the doctor might recommend woman to have special blood tests very regularly for monitoring the pregnancy until it has developed good enough so that it is marked/detected well. Another ultrasound might be performed at that time for making sure the pregnancy is in the uterus and not anywhere else.
The risk of ectopic pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy cannot lead to the healthy development and delivery of a healthy baby. There is no enough space or the proper environment outside the womb for the fetus to develop normally. In most of the cases, as the ectopic embryo begin to grow, it bursts the organ (generally the fallopian tube) that houses it, and is termed as getting "ruptured." This will cause severe bleeding, tremendous pain, and even in some of the worst and unlucky case the death for the mother. As luck would have it, the testing can identify an ectopic pregnancy quite earlier, before it turns dangerous. Nevertheless the mother should still cope with the unhappy termination of the pregnancy.
If the ectopic pregnancy is larger or out of the fallopian tube, or if there are signals of severe bleeding in the abdomen, surgery is the must. Often the surgeon can use laparoscopic surgery (small incisions in the abdomen for removing the ectopic tissues), but sometimes a larger incision is needed. In the case of a tubal pregnancy, if the tube is not damaged, oftentimes it is possible to extract the tissues from the tube. Often, however, tube damage is very intense that the affected fallopian tube is to be removed.
Prevention of tubal pregnancy
The best way for preventing the tubal pregnancy is to decrease the risk factors that include the following –
- If one is diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease, taking the prescribed antibiotic as advised until it is all gone and then follow up with the healthcare provider to be certain that the woman is cure is preferred.
- The woman should avoid gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This can be done using a diaphragm or some cervical caps or insisting that her sexual partner do coitus wearing a condom (latex based).
- If the woman plans to get pregnant soon and she is using an intrauterine device (IUD) as contraceptive device, discussing this with her doctor would be advisable.
- Any sort of surgeries of the reproductive system, intestines or lower abdomen might lead to scarring that increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy. So to prevent, take care of this point in future.
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