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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
- Obstetric Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- Pregnancy Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Dilation and curettage (D&C) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Related Issues
- Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- 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: Treatments for cesarean scar pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Article: Outcome and treatment of cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy under ultrasound-guided vacuum...
- Article: Systematic evaluation of the efficacy of treatments for cesarean scar pregnancy.
- Ectopic Pregnancy -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
- How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Ectopic/Tubal Pregnancy and Miscarriage (Boston Children's Hospital)
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