Signs of an ectopic pregnancy

Answer 1

The first warning signs of an ectopic pregnancy are often pain or vaginal bleeding. You might feel pain in your pelvis, abdomen, or, in extreme cases, even your shoulder or neck (if blood from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy builds up and irritates certain nerves). Most women describe the pain as sharp and stabbing. It may concentrate on one side of the pelvis and come and go or vary in intensity.

Any of the following additional symptoms can also suggest an ectopic pregnancy:

• vaginal spotting
• dizziness or fainting (caused by blood loss)
• low blood pressure (also caused by blood loss)
• lower Back pain

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html

I , I decided to answer because early on I was worried that I was going to go through this type of pregnancy. Good Luck!

Answer 2

• Ectopic pregnancies occur when the embryo attaches someplace other than inside the uterus. This often happens inside one or the other Fallopian tube (NOT both), and is thus called a "tubal pregnancy", although any place outside the uterus is ecotopic.
• Ectopic pregnancies are usually unknown until suddenly, the woman feels deathly sick with severe lower belly pain.
• Ectopic pregnancies are life threatening emergencies; a woman can die from internal bleeding without immediate surgery.
• Ectopic pregnancy is 100% fatal for a fetus--it will notsurvive. They cannot remove the egg to re-implant it into the uterus. So you will lose the pregnancy and the Tube will also be removed. You can still get pregnant with one tube.
• If the Tube burst, the surgeon will clean out any debris and blood in the abdomen. You may have an abdominal (surgical) drain in your abdomen for a few days. You will likely be put on IV antibiotics for a few days.

The following beginning symptoms and later symptoms are indicative:

• A missed period (see signs of pregnancy)
• Indications of an early pregnancy
• Positive pregnancy test, if pregnancy is known already
• progression of a relatively "normal" first month up to 6/7 weeks of the first trimester (If you are beyond the 7th week, don't worry because you don't have this. However, any pregnant woman who experiences pain or bleeding must go to the E.R.)

Later symptoms (typically before the 7th week):

• Sudden abdominal or more likely pelvic pain, typically extremely severe pain, "take your breath away" kind of pain. NOTE: If you react badly to being constipated, pain, nausea, and feeling faint from constipation can occur. But Ectopic pain is much, much worse than intestinal pain.
• Persistent pain, and persistently increasing pain -- not like ovarian/uterine "cramping" during a period, but instead much worse
• Pain is typically on the side of the affected Fallopian Tube, but the pain will become diffuse, meaning on both sides, and in your low back.
• Possibly, but not always, non-menstrual vaginal bleeding, often becoming heavy bleeding very quickly
• Nausea, as a result of severe pain
• Feeling faint as result of nausea (which can be sudden, see below)
• Vomiting, as a result of severe pain
• Sudden diarrhea
• Sudden sweating with chills, but no fever
• A feeling of impending doom that progressively worsens, especially when the tube bursts
• Pain in your shoulder, especially the left shoulder, if the Tube ruptured. Shoulder-blade tip pain: Shoulder blade pain is the typical pain of ectopic pregnancies. This may be due to internal bleeding irritating the diaphragm when you breathe in and out. It is exactly where it says - not in the neck or back but at the tip of your shoulder blade, in the upper back. (Note: Similar pain can occur in gallbladder disease.)
• Dizziness or collapse/fainting due to loss of blood -- hypotension and hypovolemia.
• Low blood pressure or hypotension, also as a result of hypovolemia
• Extreme paleness due to impending blood volume drop or a sudden drop in volume due to hemorrhaging
• Progression of lower abdominal pain "unlike any other pain"; you will find no comfortable position

Signs only a doctor will recognize and will interpret as an Ectopic Pregnancy

• Lack of usual signs of a uterine pregnancy when examined
• Evidence of vaginal bleeding-- will need to rule out miscarriage versus Ectopic, which has much different symptoms
• Abdominal muscle guarding - a sign of a "surgical belly", e.g. a surgical emergency
• Abdominal rebound "pain" - a sign of a surgical emergency
• Increased bowel sounds if diarrhea
• Decreased and obscured bowel sounds after the tube ruptures, especially as blood fills the abdomen (massive internal bleeding); because the abdominal cavity is filling with blood, bowel sounds become "distant".
• Signs of hypovolemic shock
• Interpretation of CBC & Diff (bloodwork)
• Decreased respirations-- common in muscle guarding
• Upon testing, the HCG and progesterone levels will be lowered -- HCG and progesterone are hormones -- in ectopic pregnancies, their levels are lower than in a normal pregnancy
• Ultrasound to rule out or rule in either appendicitis OR Ectopic Pregnancy

Initially:

• History; current symptoms.
• Vital signs.
• Cardiac monitoring.
• O2 if needed.
• Abdominal exam.
• Possible pelvic exam.
• The nurse will start an IV, often open wide to replace fluid loss and pump up blood volume.
• The nurse will draw bloodwork, and "type and cross match" for blood transfusion.
• Blood transfusion might be started before you go to the operating room.
• Ultrasound to R/O appendicitis versus Ectopic pregnancy.
• If possible, medication to control vomiting.

If you have any symptoms, immediately:

• do NOT eat or drink ANY thing
• do NOT take meds for symptoms
• call an ambulance--- do NOT drive yourself; do NOT go with family/friends
• lie down
• raise feet -- a pillow underneath
• do not get up without help (risk of passing out and injury due to falling)

NOTE: If a uterine ultrasound shows a uterine pregnancy, you cannot experience this. If you have vaginal bleeding after confirmation of a uterine pregnancy, you could be having a miscarriage. Miscarriage pain is much, much less intense and often more like period cramps than what is described above.

Answer 3

I had my right tube removed 5 weeks ag.. On my birthday actually.. Found out i wer pregnant a week b4 was over the moon ,apart from one thing i had the coil, i only took the test because of a weird trapped wind pain like feeling in my upper abdomin but i was sure it wud b negative , after a week of joy one day i had a sharpish stabbing pain quite low down then it went away after about a minute it came back and then went away within seconds , throughout the day the pain turned to discumfort n n so bad n began gettin a little higher, trapped wind i thought at the end of the day i felt like a ballon needed to get rid of this wid so began putting my shoylders on the floor n stickin my bum in the air but tht hurt my shoulder( or so i thought) i went to lie dwn n wow the pain from my shoulder was bad i could hardley move..wen my boyfreind made me laugh this exruciating pain shot up to my shoulder sum how i managed thru the night and my bday arrived! I cud hardly stand up straight n went staight to the toilet, i had the runiest bowls eer i no but i thought it helped releav my wind my tops of my legs wer realy hurting by now n wen i sat down i had to lift them with my hands to move them sooo ache but i was ok im not goin to the doctors on my bday ! After presents my mind stil cudnt rest from this ache feeling i was sat squeezing my stomach together to releve the pain n lieing on my back i wabbled my belly n could feel the air, i decided to go docs n went to take urine sampl and omg ir hurt to wee the doc gave me water infection tablets n we walked out the room n i felt reeeally fain i had to bend down, i just need to get to the car i thought, after bending n breathing all the way i droped myself on the seat and started to cry .. I cudnt breath wat is erong qith me. I need to stop crying..i just cudnt bleiv i wud hsv to take pils and go home i felt soo ill really shap short breaths now struggling i stopped my self crying and my sister inlaw went back in to the doctors and he refered me to the hospital 3 hours later,, wen we got ther i had to wait a while thn a nurse calld me in did my blopd ressure n startd askin me questions i think iv got wind i sed, any shoulder pain? She askd feeling fain? Yes i replyed, she went straight in the hall n had a word with a doctor n tol me i need to go for a scan, do you need a wheelchair she askd..wheelchair i thought lol noo, as i was walkin to the scan room i felt faint again n a nurse came n helped me stand i need to bend dwn agaun i sed n as i did she pushd me bak n sed lie dwn wel i started cryin in such pain not being able to stand saying no im fine im ok leave me slone. They got me a wheel chair and went in the scan room we cant see any thing wel have to do an internsl she sed, she went out the room and came back in with two nurses then 3 docs n a surgeon came in, wer gna hav to cut you open in ur belly button and either side of ur uterus u are hav had an eptopic n its ruptured and ur bleeding intenally we need to get u to surgery now.. Wel i was still expecting to see my baby... The wind was blood n the shoulder pain was the bllod floodin around my nerves... I was 10 weeks n didnt have a clue shoulder pain was anything to do with ectopic i wasnt in as severv pain as id expected to be..and i cud jave died tht day if u are prenant and feel any discumfort even if the doc says ur fine, especialy with the coil and hav short breath or shoulder pain or trapped wind felling or the runs pleas ge a second opinion i lost my right tube and alot of blood but luckily not my life, hope this helps somebody

Answer 4

It can be hard to tell if you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy because so many women don't even know they're pregnant at the time they would notice any symptoms of an ectopic. Some symptoms of tubal pregnancy such as a missed menstrual period and vaginal bleeding or spotting two weeks later are similar to the early signs of pregnancy. About 1 in 2 women who are experiencing a tubal pregnancy notice abdominal pain on one side or the other. 1 in 3 women feel light-headed and about 1 in 5 have shoulder pain on the same side as the stomach pain.

Answer 5

It can be hard to tell if you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy because so many women don't even know they're pregnant at the time they would notice any symptoms of an ectopic. Some symptoms of tubal pregnancy such as a missed menstrual period and vaginal bleeding or spotting two weeks later are similar to the early signs of pregnancy. About 1 in 2 women who are experiencing a tubal pregnancy notice abdominal pain on one side or the other. 1 in 3 women feel light-headed and about 1 in 5 have shoulder pain on the same side as the stomach pain.

Answer 6

Signs for ectopic pregnancy varies from person to person. The most common symptoms are ons sided pain in the abdomen accompanied with brown (Prune Juice like) discharge. If you suspect ectopic pregnancy, please see your doctor immediately and ask for a pelvic ultrasound. If a gestational sac or the foetus is seen in the uterus, then the pregnancy is intra-uterine and there is no need to worry. A gestational sac can be seen from 5 weeks and a few days. If the gestational sac is not seen in the scan either in the uterus or the tubes, the doctor will monitor you for HCG (every 2 days). Low hcg rise could mean either ectopic or natural miscarriage. If the hcg rise is abnormally high, the doctor will suspect ectopic. If there is shoulder tip pain, it could mean that the tube has ruptured and there is internal bleeding, so please go to the hospital immediately.

Answer 7

Constant pain on either side, lower then your stomach, down by your pelvic area. Nausea and/or vomitting, spotting or bleeding. Best thing to do is if you have any doubt that it's not a normal pregnancy, call your doctor.

Answer 8

Early symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are spotting that does not go away, and pain on the side where the ectopic is. However, these symptoms mimick normal pregnancy symptoms. It is difficult to diagnose an ectopic any earlier than 4 weeks.