Ectopic pregnancy is a condition where the pregnancy in a woman gets attached and grows in an organ other than its normal attachment which is in the uterine cavity. The most common place it gets attached is in the fallopian tube.

The fertilization of the egg and the sperm takes place in the fallopian tube and the embryo, gets nourishment for 4-5 days in the fallopian tube and then travels into the uterus. If for some reason like a tubal block, it gets attached to the fallopian tube and grows for some period of time. The tubal walls cannot hold the pregnancy for too long and can give way or rupture causing a torrential blood loss in the abdomen. This is a medical emergency and needs to be diagnosed and handled properly.

The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are missed periods, irregular periods, abdominal pain and giddiness. The predisposing factors are previous pelvic infections,tubal surgery, blocked tubes, IVF treatment and previous ectopic pregnancy. The pregnancy test comes positive but on Sonography, no pregnancy is seen in the uterine cavity. A swelling is usually seen by the side of the uterus. There could be presence of blood outside the uterus.

The treatment of tubal pregnancy is either medication or surgery. Medical treatment is generally offered for a ruptured tubal pregnancy, small tubal pregnancy and low levels of HCG in the blood. After the medical treatment, the woman’s HCG levels are monitored for one month and it should decrease and come to non-pregnant levels.

Surgery is a sure method of treatment. Most often Laparoscopy is the best route as the recovery is fantastic. And there are many more advantages of Laparoscopy. In most cases the affected tube would need to be removed.

The chance of a natural intrauterine pregnancy after a tubal pregnancy is dependent on the condition of the other tube. If the other tube is good and of normal function, the woman has a good chance of an intrauterine pregnancy. Or else, she would need an IVF treatment for the same.

Other than an ectopic pregnancy in the tube there could be uncommon sites of ectopic pregnancy and these are Ovarian, caesarean scar ectopic, pregnancy in the Cervix, in a non-developed uterine horn. All these cases require a surgical intervention.

It is most important not to miss a diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy. One must have a high index of suspicion as this is a potentially a near fatal condition.