There are no much difference between the normal pregnancy symptoms and the tubal pregnancy symptoms. Otherwise known as an ectopic pregnancy, it always takes some time to identify the condition of tubal pregnancy.
Tubal pregnancy is a complication in pregnancy where the pregnancy implants outside the uterine cavity, in the fallopian tube.
This is a case which occurs in every two out of hundred pregnancies and if not treated properly, may pose a threat on the life of the mother.
A tubal pregnancy happens when the fertilized egg travels through the fallopian tube from the ovary to the womb and gets stuck due to any damage or blockage in the tube.
Without reaching the destination, it implants itself on the walls of the tube. In some rare cases, a woman may have both normal and ectopic pregnancy, the condition being called as heterotopic pregnancy.
Other conditions increasing this risk are having abdominal surgery or a tubal ligation or taking birth pills, etc. Older age can also be more likely to have this pregnancy.
The tubal pregnancy symptoms are not identifiable in the early stage of the pregnancy as they are almost similar to those of the normal pregnancy.
The presence of an ectopic condition is diagnosed in around 5 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. The early tubal pregnancy signs share a close proximity to the signs of various diseases like appendicitis, urinary infections, gastrointestinal disorder and pelvic inflammatory diseases.
The doubt for a tubal pregnancy arises if there is a slight brownish bleeding in the vagina, accompanied with pain in lower abdomen.
Now if you know that you are expecting and you experience this problem, then you must seek for immediate medical care.
Other tubal pregnancy symptoms include severe pelvic pain with cramps. The most part with the pain is it occurs mostly on one side.
It may also be accompanied with abdomen inflammation. You may also experience pain while coughing, sneezing, urinating and having the bowel movement.
Loss in blood may cause dizziness and there are chances that you may collapse as well. You may suffer from diarrhoea as well. All these symptoms, especially the loss in blood, leave you all tired and weak.
There could be extensive internal and external bleeding in tubal pregnancy. External bleeding is caused due to the hormonal actions. When progesterone level decreases, it results in the external bleeding.
However, internal bleeding is caused due to haemorrhage from the affected tube. Due to these bleeding conditions, tubal pregnancy symptoms like lower back pain and pelvic pain are experienced.
These pains often come with cramps throughout the body. You may also have pain in the shoulder-tip caused due to free blood tracking up the abdominal cavity.
Tubal pregnancy can be life threatening and hence dangerous. There is the slightest chance of such pregnancy to continue.
This is because, with the development of the embryo, it becomes too large to fit in the fallopian tube. As it continues to grow, there are probabilities of the tube to rupture.
This causes severe internal bleeding. If instant medical help is not rendered, then the woman may die out of shock. Hence, consulting a doctor is always advisable right from the day you start noticing the various tubal pregnancy symptoms.
Diagnosing a tubal pregnancy is very important. The very first method doctors follow here is the usual pregnancy test.
A blood test would confirm pregnancy and would also hint about the presence of the pregnancy, either in uterus or in the fallopian tube.
When the pregnancy test is confirmed, a second try would be in ultrasound to check the normal pregnancy. With the failure of this test, further tests are done.
One method usually adopted to diagnose the ectopic pregnancy is the process of laparoscopy. The pregnancy is located through a laparoscope, which can be also used in the removal of the pregnancy.
Even lowered progesterone levels also imply the presence of tubal pregnancy as they are meant to be higher in normal pregnancy.
As soon as you experience the tubal pregnancy symptoms and diagnosis is done, immediate medical help is sought for.
Usually doctors recommend the removal of the pregnancy as they are short-termed. A surgery is performed to remove the blood and the pregnancy itself.
With the removal of the pregnancy, there is only 10 percent probability of having another such pregnancy. Hence chance of having a normal pregnancy is still very high!
There is no way to prevent the tubal pregnancy. If you come across any of the above mentioned symptoms, then you must rush to the hospital as delay may make things dangerous.
