Questions in the Maternal and Child Health Forum have been answered by doctors from Henry Ford Health System.

Subject: Re: Ectopic Pregnancy
Forum: The Maternal ~ Child Health Forum
Topic Area: Pregnancy - Abnormal
Posted by hfhs.md.rcs on July 03, 1998 at 11:36:39:
In Reply to: Ectopic Pregnancy posted by Sherrai on July 02, 1998 at 12:48:05:


On May 28, 1998 I had a very scary experience I was dressing my 6 year old for
for school when I had a very sharp pain in my stomach I went on getting her
dressed when it got very severe, after dropping her off I went straight to
the emergency room the doctor did a pelvic exam which was very painful
he then called my OB/Gyn who came, examined me, and rushed me to surgery. After
surgery I was told that it was an ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured and
when he went in my stomach was full of blood I was given a blood transfusion
during surgery and another one the day that I was released from the hospital
My question is are ectopic pregnancies usually this severe and also I had no symptoms
did not know that I was even preganant, and I could not have been even 2 months
along I also had a tube removed will this affect my cahnces of becoming preg
nat again? I am 29 years old. Also a week prior I had just flown coast to coast
could this have been a factor.

Dear Sherrai:

Ectopic pregnancy can present with warning signs such as cramps and spotting or it can be a dramatic presentation with bleeding into the abdomen, sudden severe pain, collapse. Your experience is sufficiently common that even though you did not suspect pregnancy and I presume did not mention that idea to the physician in the ER, they thought about it, did the correct tests, and contacted your OB/Gyn.
We do not know the cause of ectopic pregnancies. In some cases, an infection has damaged the tube. Since both tubes are equally susceptible, there is no way to know if the other tube has also been compromised. An X-ray or any other test tells us only that the tube is open. It cannot tell us if the lining of the tube is normal and specifically if the cilia (hair-like projections on the cells in the tube that create the currents in the tube to move egg and embryo) can work normally. Unfortunately, women who have had one ectopic pregnancy do have a greater chance for a second ectopic pregnancy. That is the bad news. The good news is that lots of women have a healthy pregnancy in the womb following treatment of an ectopic pregnancy.
If the opposite tube functions normally, pregnancy may take slightly longer (eggs released from the opposite side have a more difficult time being recovered by the remaining tube).

I am unaware of any association between airline travel and ectopic pregnancy. I cannot even think of a reason why they might be related.

Keywords: ectopic pregnancy.

This material is provided for information purposess only and should not be considered a formal medical consultation. If you have specific questions, Please contact your primary physician.

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