Ectopic Pregnancy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

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

Start Here

• Ectopic Pregnancy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Ectopic Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Ectopic Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Symptoms

• Abnormal Uterine Bleeding FAQ (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Common Discomforts of Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)

Diagnosis and Tests

• hCG Test (Pregnancy Test) (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Obstetrical Ultrasound (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Progesterone Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Treatments and Therapies

• Dilation and Curettage (D&C) (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish

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)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Abdominal (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Ectopic (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Tubal (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Outcome of high-intensity focused ultrasound and uterine artery embolization in...
• Article: Analysis of risk factors for intraoperative hemorrhage of cesarean scar...
• Article: Impact of hysterosalpingography after operative treatment for ectopic pregnancy in...
• Ectopic Pregnancy -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Ectopic/Tubal Pregnancy (Children's Hospital Boston)

Patient Handouts

• D and C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ectopic pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• HCG blood test - quantitative (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish