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Summary
The uterus, or womb, is the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. If you have an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg grows in the wrong place, outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes. The result is usually a miscarriage.
Ectopic pregnancy can be a medical emergency if it ruptures. Signs of ectopic pregnancy include
- Abdominal pain
- Shoulder pain
- Vaginal bleeding
- Feeling dizzy or faint
Get medical care right away if you have these signs. Doctors use drugs or surgery to remove the ectopic tissue so it doesn't damage your organs. Many women who have had ectopic pregnancies go on to have healthy pregnancies later.
Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Abdominal Pain or Cramping (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Abnormal Uterine Bleeding FAQ (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- hCG Test (Pregnancy Test) (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Obstetrical Ultrasound (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish
- Progesterone Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Treatments and Therapies
- Dilation and Curettage (D&C) (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Related Issues
-
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and Cancer
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- Pregnancy Loss: How to Cope (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- What Is the Risk for a Second Ectopic Pregnancy? (Nemours Foundation)
Statistics and Research
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Possible Early Warning of Pregnancy Abnormalities (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Ectopic (National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Tubal (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
Teenagers
- Ectopic/Tubal Pregnancy (Children's Hospital Boston)
Patient Handouts
- D and C Also in Spanish
- Ectopic pregnancy Also in Spanish
- HCG blood test - quantitative Also in Spanish
