2023-07-17 16:27:00
By Sylvia Petersen Jul 17, 2023 at 6:27 p.m
In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg implants itself in the wrong place. The embryo has no chance of survival. But it can also have dangerous consequences for women. STYLEBOOK spoke to a gynecologist about symptoms and risks.
What happens in an ectopic pregnancy?
Pregnancy usually has a clear course: egg cell and sperm meet in the fallopian tube and fuse with each other. The fertilized egg is then transported through the fallopian tube to the uterus. There she implants herself and grows into a pregnancy. “However, it can happen that the fertilized egg cell gets stuck in the fallopian tube,” explains Dr. medical Mandy Mangler, chief physician for gynecology and obstetrics at Berlin’s Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum. “The fertilized egg then behaves in the fallopian tube as if it were in the uterus and grows and grows. So an ectopic pregnancy is a misplaced pregnancy.”
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How to detect an ectopic pregnancy?
Many women are unaware of an ectopic pregnancy. The fertilized egg cell dies by itself before the first symptoms appear. But even those who think they are pregnant often do not notice anything about the ectopic pregnancy at first. “A pregnancy test will come back positive for an ectopic pregnancy, but women don’t feel that the pregnancy is in the wrong place,” said Dr. medical Mandy Mangler on STYLEBOOK. “Only an ultrasound can tell that something is wrong. The ultrasound then shows that the uterus is empty.”
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Left unnoticed, an ectopic pregnancy can be fatal
Without a medical examination, many women do not initially notice an ectopic pregnancy. “But within a short period of time, women can get very bad,” says Dr. medical Mandy Mangler. The reason: the fallopian tube burst! The organ is only a few millimeters thick and not made for a growing embryo. “If the fallopian tube bursts, the woman bleeds into the abdomen,” explains the gynecologist. “It can be several liters. It’s one of the few real emergencies in gynaecology.” Then every minute counts. The bleeding must be stopped as soon as possible. “Many women suffer from circulatory shock due to the high blood loss and can die from it,” says Mangler.
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Treatment of ectopic pregnancy and its consequences
To prevent life-threatening complications from occurring in the first place, an ectopic pregnancy must first be diagnosed with the help of an ultrasound. In order to end it (before the fallopian tube ruptures), the fertilized egg cell is surgically removed. “To do this, you do a tummy tuck,” explains Dr. medical Mandy Mangler. “It’s a simple operation, but it’s life-saving.”
The fallopian tube can often be preserved – but not always. The chief physician for obstetrics explains what that means: “A study has shown that it doesn’t matter whether you cut open the fallopian tube and only remove the fertilized egg or remove the fallopian tube at the same time. In both cases, women have slightly reduced fertility after the operation. So it’s harder for you to get pregnant afterwards.” Incidentally, an ectopic pregnancy can happen more than once. “In women who have had one before, the risk is ten percent higher,” says Mangler. “The risk doubles to 20 percent if you’ve already had two ectopic pregnancies.”
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Causes and Prevention
If the fallopian tube does not let a fertilized egg cell through, it is due to its nature. Some women are born with a tube that is too narrow. “However, the fallopian tube can also stick together and narrow as a result of previous inflammation and infection,” explains Dr. medical Mandy Mangler. Her urgent advice: “Use condoms and protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases that can block the fallopian tube! This significantly reduces the risk of an ectopic pregnancy.”
Those
with expert advice from Dr. medical Mandy Mangler, chief physician for gynecology and obstetrics at Berlin’s Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum
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