Lottie
New Member
The following is just a guideline and should never be substituted for proper medical treatment. If you feel you may be at risk please seek medical advice urgently.
Source - The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.
What is an Ectopic Pregnancy?
Put very simply, an ectopic pregnancy means "an out-of-place pregnancy".
It happens when a woman's ovum when it has been fertilised by a man's sperm, instead of moving down her fallopian tube into the womb to develop there, remains "stuck" in the tube.
Signs of an Eptopic Pregnancy include:
One-sided pain in your tummy, This can be persistent and severe, but may not be on the same side as an ectopic pregnancy.
Shoulder-tip pain, This may be due to internal bleeding irritating the diaphragm when you breathe in and out.
Bladder or Bowel Problems, If you feel pain when you have your bowels open or when you pass water and think you may be pregnant you should mention this when you go for a check-up.
Collapse, You may be feeling light-headed or faint, and often this is accompanied by a feeling of something being very wrong. Other signs such as paleness, increasing pulse rate, sickness, diarrhoea and falling blood pressure may also be present.
Pregnancy Test, This may be positive but not always. Specialised hCG blood tests are sometimes required to confirm this.
Abnormal bleeding, f you don't know whether your are pregnant but find yourself having an unusual period it may be due to a number of causes, one of which might be an ectopic pregnancy, particularly if you have had a coil (IUCD) fitted.
So if your bleeding is heavier or lighter than usual and prolonged, or if, unlike your normal monthly period, this bleeding is slight, dark and watery, sometimes described as looking like 'prune juice', then you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.
A missed or late period, If you have missed one or more periods then the most likely reason is that you are normally pregnant. However the fact that you may experience normal pregnancy symptoms e.g. nausea, painful breasts or a swollen abdomen but no bleeding does not completely rule out an ectopic pregnancy.
So if you also experience one or more of the symptoms and pains described in the first four bulleted paragraphs above, you should certainly tell your doctor about them.
GPs and hospital doctors may have difficulty reaching a diagnosis because trouble may occur almost immediately you are pregnant (3 weeks) up to 12 weeks or even later. There are many other causes of lower tummy pain.
SOURCE-EctopicPregnancy.org
The above link is a very good site for more information on Ectopic Pregnancy with a wide range of resources available.
Source - The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.
What is an Ectopic Pregnancy?
Put very simply, an ectopic pregnancy means "an out-of-place pregnancy".
It happens when a woman's ovum when it has been fertilised by a man's sperm, instead of moving down her fallopian tube into the womb to develop there, remains "stuck" in the tube.
Signs of an Eptopic Pregnancy include:
One-sided pain in your tummy, This can be persistent and severe, but may not be on the same side as an ectopic pregnancy.
Shoulder-tip pain, This may be due to internal bleeding irritating the diaphragm when you breathe in and out.
Bladder or Bowel Problems, If you feel pain when you have your bowels open or when you pass water and think you may be pregnant you should mention this when you go for a check-up.
Collapse, You may be feeling light-headed or faint, and often this is accompanied by a feeling of something being very wrong. Other signs such as paleness, increasing pulse rate, sickness, diarrhoea and falling blood pressure may also be present.
Pregnancy Test, This may be positive but not always. Specialised hCG blood tests are sometimes required to confirm this.
Abnormal bleeding, f you don't know whether your are pregnant but find yourself having an unusual period it may be due to a number of causes, one of which might be an ectopic pregnancy, particularly if you have had a coil (IUCD) fitted.
So if your bleeding is heavier or lighter than usual and prolonged, or if, unlike your normal monthly period, this bleeding is slight, dark and watery, sometimes described as looking like 'prune juice', then you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.
A missed or late period, If you have missed one or more periods then the most likely reason is that you are normally pregnant. However the fact that you may experience normal pregnancy symptoms e.g. nausea, painful breasts or a swollen abdomen but no bleeding does not completely rule out an ectopic pregnancy.
So if you also experience one or more of the symptoms and pains described in the first four bulleted paragraphs above, you should certainly tell your doctor about them.
GPs and hospital doctors may have difficulty reaching a diagnosis because trouble may occur almost immediately you are pregnant (3 weeks) up to 12 weeks or even later. There are many other causes of lower tummy pain.
SOURCE-EctopicPregnancy.org
The above link is a very good site for more information on Ectopic Pregnancy with a wide range of resources available.