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In case a woman begins to undergo symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, in all probability she will be administered the quantitative HCG test that determines the HCG level in the blood. Now, if the levels are below the normal that is projected for the woman’s specific pregnancy phase, the physician may suppose it to be an ectopic pregnancy.

In addition, a woman needs to go through a pelvic exam, a vaginal exam, and an ultrasound. A culdocentesis might also be carried out, wherein a needle is put into the top area of the vagina, at the back of the uterus, to try to find blood from a burst ectopic pregnancy.

When the fetus develops on the exterior of the uterus, it would ultimately result in the rupturing of the organ that holds it, as well as the major arteries. This produces acute intra-abdominal hemorrhaging, which if not attended to immediately, can prove fatal for the pregnant woman.

Contending with the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy by just terminating the ectopic pregnancy constitutes the sole option, since the embryo’s chances of survival are simply hopeless.

There is a diverse range of choices available for coping with the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, and they all are chiefly based on the size of the embryo. In case the embryo is quite tiny, surgery may be ruled out; instead, a woman could be administered methotrexate drug.

The medicine operates by inhibiting the growth of the placental cells, the moment it is introduced into the muscle and passes through the bloodstream.

Regrettably, the rate of success of this drug is much lower when compared with surgery; in fact, in some special cases, the woman may need methotrexate as well as surgery. This drug has some side effects characterized by stomach pain or cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.

There may be cases where a woman is too far into her pregnancy to take methotrexate; moreover, there could be a possibility she could be suffering internal bleeding, in great physical distress, breastfeeding, or has particular health conditions that proscribe taking this drug.

In such a scenario, if the embryo, even now, is very tiny and the woman’s condition is quite sound, a further alternative to handling the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy would involve taking out the embryo by means of laparoscopic surgery.

Here, a minute camera is inserted via a tiny incision in the stomach and the tubes closely inspected; the embryo or the residual matter can be taken out by means of this incision. In case the woman’s tube is not greatly harmed and if she is not having excessive bleeding, the tube can stay in place. This kind of surgery is performed under general anesthesia and needs about a week for the patient to recuperate completely.

In case the woman has extensive scar tissue in her stomach or has severe bleeding, or in case the embryo is very big, major abdominal surgery is necessary in order to cope with the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy.

In such a case, the woman is given general anesthesia; the surgeon is required to cut open her abdomen and take out the embryo. Yet again, based on the woman’s health condition, her tube might be kept intact or it might also be taken out. Six weeks of convalescence, is needed after this surgery; certain side effects may consist of feeling bloated, stomach pain and uneasiness.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Pregnancy and Family Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.