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Taking a Look at Tubal Pregnancy

Are you thinking about having a baby? When most women are making this kind of decision, they weigh up a lot of different factors. Is your relationship in the right place for a baby? Are you financially stable enough for a baby? Will you need to move into a larger home? What effect will a pregnancy have on your career? Unfortunately, in the hustle and bustle of all these considerations, many women forget to research the health issues that surround pregnancy. When you are going to have a baby, however, your health must come first. One of the most common health issues women face during pregnancy is also one of the least understood – tubal pregnancies. Get to know the facts about this issue to protect your own health early in your pregnancy.

Tubal pregnancies are one of a few different types of pregnancies that fall under the heading of ectopic pregnancies. In very simple terms, an ectopic pregnancy is any pregnancy in which the fertilized egg (also called a fertilized ovum) is implanted someplace other than the uterus. Tubal pregnancies occur when the fertilized egg is implanted in one of the fallopian tubes, but ectopic pregnancies can also occur in the ovaries, the cervix or even the abdominal cavity. Tubal pregnancies are by far the most common kind of ectopic pregnancy; they account for 98% of the cases.

In “normal” uterine pregnancies, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. The uterine wall is designed to sustain the fertilized egg throughout the gestation of the fetus, providing it with nutrients from the mother and plenty of room to grow. When this implantation takes place outside of the uterus, such as within the fallopian tubes, the fertilized egg still attaches itself to the tissue and gives off an enzyme in an attempt to divert blood flow from that tissue to itself. While the uterus can handle this demand, other tissues cannot, and so an ectopic pregnancy can have serious implications for the mother’s health.

For this reasons, an ectopic pregnancy cannot be ignored. In some cases, the body will expel the embryo on its own in a process known as tubal abortion. This scenario may present itself as a normal miscarriage, and so if it happens to you, you may not ever know for sure that your pregnancy was ectopic. If this does not happen, however, and you begin to show symptoms (pain in the abdomen and lower back, vaginal bleeding, and later, internal bleeding), medical intervention is necessary. A medication that causes you to expel the uterus may be used, or in more difficult cases, surgery is required.

The causes of ectopic pregnancies are unknown, but there are a few risk factors that increase your chances of having one. Smoking is considered to be a major contributing factor of ectopic pregnancies. Other contributing factors include giving birth at an older age, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and prior ectopic pregnancies. Women who have reduced fertility because of some other medical problem (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, thyroid disease, lupus, diabetes etc) also have a higher risk of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy.

After having an ectopic pregnancy, conceiving again may be difficult. When surgery is required to remove an ectopic pregnancy, often the entire fallopian tube must be removed, which impacts future fertility. Even if the tube is not removed, future fertility will depend on how much damaged the embryo did to the tube while it was implanted. The chance of having a second ectopic pregnancy is around 10%. Your doctor can help address your fertility issue after an ectopic pregnancy; in vitro fertilization is one option many women who have a history of ectopic pregancies turn to.