Ectopic pregnancy

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Pelvic laparoscopy

Ultrasound in pregnancy

Female reproductive anatomy

Uterus

Ultrasound, normal fetus - foot

Ectopic pregnancy

Alternative Names:

Tubal pregnancy; Cervical pregnancy; Abdominal pregnancy

Symptoms:

lower abdominal or pelvic pain
mild cramping on one side of the pelvis
amenorrhea (cessation of regular menstrual cycle)
abnormal vaginal bleeding -- usually scant amounts, spotting
breast tenderness
nausea
back pain, low

If rupture and hemorrhaging occurs before successfully treating the pregnancy, symptoms may worsen and include:

Severe, sharp, and sudden pain in the lower abdominal area
feeling faint or actually fainting
referred pain to the shoulder area

Signs and tests:

A pelvic examination may reveal uterine adnexal (Fallopian tube or ovary region) tenderness.

There is usually a positive pregnancy test.
- Urine HCG (qualitative) tests may be falsely negative in up to 17.5% of them.
- In contrast, serum HCG (quantitative) tests have only a 2% incidence of false-negative results.
A hematocrit test may be normal or decreased.
The white blood count may be normal or increased.
A culdocentesis may be performed to determine if free blood is present in the abdomen.
An ultrasound (transvaginal ultrasound or pregnancy ultrasound) illustrates an empty uterus. Products of conception may be evident elsewhere.
A laparoscopy and or a laparotomy may be necessary for adequate diagnosis.
A D and C may be indicated to rule out a nonviable intrauterinepregnancy.

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

serum progesterone (a value of 25ng/mL or more is 98% of the time asssociated with a normal pregnancy in the uterus, while a value of less than 5ng/mL indicates that the pregnancy, regardless of location, is not going to be successful)

Review Date: 5/21/2002
Reviewed By: Peter Chen, M.D., Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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