How to differentiate between threatened abortion and ectopic pregnancy?

The early stages of pregnancy are relatively dangerous. Pregnant women will experience many physical discomforts at this time, such as morning sickness, pain, and even vaginal bleeding. Especially when threatened abortion and ectopic pregnancy occur, there will be pain in the abdomen. Therefore, many people will confuse threatened abortion and ectopic pregnancy. It is very important to correctly distinguish between the two. The following will teach you the correct identification method.

Differentiation between threatened abortion and ectopic pregnancy:

An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus but instead ends up in the fallopian tube or abdominal cavity. It is also known as an ectopic pregnancy and is a gynecological emergency that can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Threatened abortion refers to the phenomenon that after a normal intrauterine pregnancy in a woman, the fetus stops growing and aborts due to certain reasons. Patients with ectopic pregnancy and threatened abortion will experience abdominal pain and bleeding.

1. Menopause

Ectopic pregnancy often causes short-term amenorrhea or delayed menstruation for several days, but in a few people, vaginal bleeding occurs without obvious amenorrhea. Threatened miscarriage can also present with similar symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish them from one another.

2. Vaginal bleeding

The most common symptom of ectopic pregnancy is a small amount of dark red vaginal bleeding after menopause, and a few people also experience heavy bleeding. Vaginal bleeding of threatened abortion can be divided into light bleeding and heavy bleeding, continuous bleeding and irregular bleeding. Although a small amount of vaginal bleeding in the first 3 months of pregnancy may be normal, vaginal bleeding is one of the signs of threatened abortion. Therefore, if vaginal bleeding occurs after pregnancy, whether accompanied by or with abdominal pain, you should go to the hospital for treatment in time. Additionally, vaginal bleeding in the setting of a threatened miscarriage may present as the discharge of blood clots or grayish tissue.

3. Abdominal pain

Once an ectopic pregnancy ruptures, there will be tearing pain in one side of the lower abdomen, and symptoms of shock such as pale face, low blood pressure, and confusion will quickly appear. A large amount of intra-abdominal bleeding accumulates in the rectouterine pouch, and the patient will also have a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen. Threatened abortion is often manifested as persistent pain in the waist or abdomen, and the abdominal pain often manifests as lower abdominal cramps. Once vaginal bleeding symptoms appear, pain may begin a few hours or days later.

Therefore, whether it is ectopic pregnancy or threatened abortion, it is very important for female friends to seek medical treatment in time.