An ectopic pregnancy is the medical term for what is most commonly referred to as a tubal pregnancy. Like most women of child-bearing years, I was familiar with this term but hadn’t given this type of pregnancy much thought, nor did I familiarize myself with ectopic pregnancy symptoms. In retrospect, maybe I chose to ignore it and hoped it didn’t happen to me. I had always heard that an ectopic pregnancy could be dangerous to the mother and fatal for the developing embryo.
The word ectopic is derived from the Greek word ektopos meaning “out of place” and that is exactly what occurs with an ectopic pregnancy. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an ectopic pregnancy as “occurring in an abnormal position or in an unusual manner.” An ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy where the fertilized egg begins to develop outside of the uterus (womb). Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes but in rare situations can happen in the cervix, abdominal area or the ovary.
Ectopic pregnancy symptoms can vary with different women and the symptoms can also depend on the cause and the abnormal location of the embryo. Many women experience the same symptoms with an ectopic pregnancy as they would in the beginning stages of a normal pregnancy, such as missing a period, nausea and sore breasts. I didn’t even skip a period, so my ectopic pregnancy symptoms were very vague.
Ectopic pregnancy symptoms can often mimic the symptoms of the same conditions that cause this dangerous type of pregnancy in the first place. This makes it even more difficult to reach a correct diagnosis. The ectopic pregnancy symptoms I experienced were the same as the many ovarian cysts that had plagued me for years.
I had been diagnosed in my early twenties with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). I also had frequent ovarian cysts and my doctor had already found small amounts of endometriosis. My menstrual cycles were often painful and I would sometimes require antibiotics after menstruating to combat infections from the PID.
My medical history made me a prime candidate for an ectopic pregnancy. These same medical conditions were not only the prime cause of my ectopic pregnancy, but the symptoms would prove almost identical. My ovarian cysts and PID symptoms would vary from a dull ache to sharp jabbing pains that would stop me in my tracks. The sharp pains almost always indicated another ovarian cyst. The symptoms sometimes lasted for a couple of weeks or they could be sporadic for several months. It wasn’t unusual for me to experience pain when I ovulated.
I began experiencing a dull ache in my right ovary and the pain didn’t go away after a few weeks. I had learned to really pay attention to my symptoms and fortunately I had a wonderful doctor who listened to me. I knew the symptoms were worse than usual and my doctor finally agreed to do surgery. My ovary was very enlarged with a rare type of bleeding cyst that was inside the ovary and that ovary had to be removed.
I wasn’t even thirty years old yet and resigned to the fact I would eventually need a hysterectomy. I had given birth to one child but I was too young to lose my last ovary. I didn’t want to go on hormone replacement therapy at such a young age. All of these medical conditions created the environment where an ectopic pregnancy can easily occur. Scar tissue from surgeries as well as infection can cause blockages in the fallopian tubes.
I started experiencing symptoms of an ovarian cyst again about a year after my surgery. Again, I told my doctor and we both decided to take a “wait and see” approach. My symptoms were the same ones I’d experienced many times in the past, including the usual sporadic throbbing pain in my side near the ovary. After a few weeks, the pain was still there. I returned to my doctor and he prescribed hormone therapy and explained this will often cause the cyst to shrink and disappear.
I waited another two or three weeks and hoped the pain would subside. It didn’t. I remember my husband and I were taking walks in the evening and it soon became too painful for me to continue these walks. The pain was now constant in my left side and walking just intensified it. I made an appointment with my gynecologist and insisted the pain was different and much worse than before. Of course I already knew surgery was the only way to know with certainty what was causing my symptoms and thankfully I had a doctor who trusted my instincts.
The surgery revealed an ectopic pregnancy. My doctor was shocked at the diagnosis almost as much as my husband and me. My ectopic pregnancy symptoms had not even caused enough suspicion for a pregnancy test, yet my fallopian tube was ready to rupture at any moment. Many women experience almost the opposite ectopic pregnancy symptoms than I did. Periods are usually missed which in turn warrants a pregnancy test and pregnancy is confirmed. Sometimes when this occurs, the pregnancy will appear to progress normally for a while. Pain is the most common signal that something is wrong. My advice is to never ignore that pain.
I can’t stress enough the importance of trusting your own instincts. I knew that something was wrong and that helped to prevent my ectopic pregnancy from ending with a ruptured fallopian tube and internal bleeding. According to Medline Plus, “internal bleeding due to a rupture may lead to shock. Shock is the first symptom of nearly 20% of ectopic pregnancies.” That’s an astounding percentage in my opinion. My fallopian tube had to be removed and as with most ectopic pregnancies, the fetus cannot survive. I was no longer able to conceive after this surgery.
