Does an ectopic pregnancy cause early breast tenderness?
Ectopic pregnancy is a pathological condition in the early stages of pregnancy. Although it is a pathological state, it is still considered a pregnancy, so common early pregnancy reactions still occur in patients with ectopic pregnancies, including mild breast tenderness in the early stages. The reason for this tenderness is because after pregnancy, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body increase. These hormones stimulate the mammary glands, causing slight proliferation and manifested as breast tenderness. Even in cases of ectopic pregnancy, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body will rise, thus causing breast tenderness. However, in ectopic pregnancies, the increase in estrogen and progesterone is not particularly high, so the stimulation to the mammary glands is not as strong as in a normal intrauterine pregnancy. Thus, there is breast tenderness in the early pregnancy, but it is lower than in normal intrauterine pregnancies.