When Would Symptoms of an Ectopic Pregnancy Show Up?

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb. The NHS records show that around 11,000 ectopic pregnancies occur in the UK each year, although the figure is probably much higher. Here are the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy to look out for and when you might expect to experience them... The warning signs Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are: • severe pain on one side, low down in the abdomenrn• vaginal bleeding (often mistaken for a normal period) or a brown watery dischargern• pain in your shouldersrn• feeling dizzy or faint which can occur if the ectopic pregnancy has ruptured the fallopian tubes and is causing dangerous internal bleedingrn• pain when you have a bowel movementrn• diarrhoea and vomiting When the symptoms can occur Often, women can experience no symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy and the condition is only revealed in an early scan or if the fallopian tube ruptures. If there are symptoms, they usually appear between weeks five and 14 of the pregnancy. How it is diagnosed If you begin to have symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy a few weeks into your pregnancy, you may be offered a blood test to measure blood levels of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced by placental tissue. The hCG levels are usually lower than normal if your pregnancy is ectopic or you are going to have a miscarriage. You can also be offered a transvaginal ultrasound scan to diagnose if anything is wrong. This works by having a small probe inserted into your vagina to take a close-up image of your womb and surrounding areas and usually shows the location of your pregnancy. If a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy has still not been confirmed, a laparoscopy may be performed involving a direct examination of the womb and fallopian tubes. This is carried out using a viewing tube which passes through a small opening in the abdomen wall and is carried out under general anaesthetic. If diagnosis is early enough, the pregnancy can be brought to a safe end, for the mother – unfortunately the baby cannot be saved in an ectopic pregnancy. However, if the fallopian tube has already ruptured, emergency surgery is required and the effected fallopian tube may be removed. Having a previous history of ectopic pregnancy means that you have an increased risk of having one in the future compared to other women. Depending on the underlying factors, the risk of having another ectopic pregnancy is somewhere between one in ten and one in four.