What are the signs of an ectopic pregnancy?

There are many reasons why women may have ectopic pregnancies. For example, after the sperm and egg combine to form a fertilized egg, it needs to be transported through the fallopian tube to enter the uterus. However, some women have fallopian tube inflammation or blockage of the fallopian tube, which will prevent the fertilized egg from entering the uterus, leading to ectopic pregnancy. So once a woman has an ectopic pregnancy, what physical symptoms will appear?

What are the signs of an ectopic pregnancy?

Under normal circumstances, when the embryo implants in the uterine cavity after a woman becomes pregnant, it is called an intrauterine pregnancy. If it implants somewhere outside the uterine cavity, it is called an ectopic pregnancy, which is also called ectopic pregnancy in medicine. The most common site of ectopic pregnancy is the fallopian tube, and a few can also be seen in the ovaries, cervix, etc. It means that the embryo does not implant in the uterus, but develops in other parts, and then the fallopian tube ruptures, causing heavy bleeding. This disease is very life-threatening to the mother. The most common causes of ectopic pregnancy are salpingitis and adhesions, such as chronic salpingitis, tuberculosis, endometriosis, etc.

The early symptoms of ectopic pregnancy are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Abdominal pain: The patient has heavy or severe pain in the lower abdomen, a feeling of defecation, and often cold sweat. If the affected area ruptures, the patient will suddenly feel tearing pain in one side of the lower abdomen, accompanied by symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Amenorrhea: The early symptoms of ectopic pregnancy can easily be confused with normal early pregnancy reactions. If a pregnant woman experiences amenorrhea and early pregnancy reactions within a short period of time, and sometimes also has lower abdominal pain on one side, and examination reveals that the fallopian tube is normal and enlarged, ectopic pregnancy should be suspected.

Vaginal bleeding: Patients with ectopic pregnancy may experience vaginal bleeding symptoms. It should be noted that ectopic pregnancy bleeding is irregular vaginal bleeding that occurs after the death of the embryo. It is dark brown in color and small in amount, generally not exceeding the amount of menstruation. Bleeding is often accompanied by the discharge of decidual tubular or decidual fragments. When the lesion is eliminated, the bleeding may stop completely. The bleeding during menstruation is discharged without decidual tissue.

Syncope and shock: Many patients may suffer from decreased blood volume or severe abdominal pain due to acute intra-abdominal bleeding. Mild cases may experience syncope, while severe cases may suffer from shock, which is life-threatening.

Other symptoms: Patients with ectopic pregnancy may also experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and frequent urination. Some patients may go into shock due to heavy bleeding, becoming pale and having low blood pressure.

If a woman experiences several of the above symptoms at the same time after becoming pregnant, she should suspect an ectopic pregnancy and go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible.