Ectopic Pregnancy

Also called: Abdominal pregnancy, Tubal pregnancy

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Basics

Summary
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Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

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Summary

The uterus, or womb, is the place where a baby grows when a woman is pregnant. If you have an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg grows in the wrong place, outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes. The result is usually a miscarriage.

Ectopic pregnancy can be a medical emergency if it ruptures. Signs of ectopic pregnancy include:

Abdominal pain
Shoulder pain
Vaginal bleeding
Feeling dizzy or faint

Get medical care right away if you have these signs. Doctors use drugs or surgery to remove the ectopic tissue so it doesn't damage your organs. Many women who have had ectopic pregnancies go on to have healthy pregnancies later.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health

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Ectopic Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Ectopic Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Ectopic Pregnancy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Diagnosis and Tests

Obstetric Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Pregnancy Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Dilation and curettage (D&C) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Related Issues

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Exposure and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Ectopic (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, Tubal (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Ectopic/Tubal Pregnancy and Miscarriage (Boston Children's Hospital)

Patient Handouts

D and C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Ectopic pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
HCG blood test - quantitative (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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