What Is an Ectopic Pregnancy?

QUESTION: Our family always reads your column, and we are amongst your most
loyal fans. Can you offer us a description of "ectopic pregnancy"? This
frightening diagnosis has us all quite anxious for we don't understand just
what the seriousness of this might be, and so we are now turning to you.
Please try to explain all you can.
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ANSWER: Ectopic means "out of place." An ectopic pregnancy is when the fetus
starts to develop anywhere except in the uterus. The most common site of an
ectopic pregnancy is the fallopian tubes, but they can also occur in the
ovary, in the entrance to the tube, at the point the tube joins the uterus,
and at the mouth of the uterus.
Ectopic pregnancies are dangerous because only the uterus can expand to
accommodate a growing fetus. A growing fetus will burst a fallopian tube
within a few weeks. This usually kills the fetus and the bleeding that
results can kill the mother. Although there have been instances of a healthy
baby growing outside the uterus, it is an event bordering on the miraculous.
Ectopic pregnancy is a major cause of death during pregnancy. Less seriously,
it can result in the loss of a fallopian tube and sterility.
Many ectopic pregnancies abort spontaneously, before the tube ruptures.
The embryo is reabsorbed into the body and the woman may never even know she
was pregnant. The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy include abdominal pain and
bleeding from the vagina, and is often confused with appendicitis, an
intestinal "bug," or a bladder infection.
The incidence of ectopic pregnancies are rising. This is primarily due
to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases, which cause scarring that
blocks the tubes. Improvements in testing are also raising the statistics of
ectopic pregnancy as they are detected earlier.