What should I do about an ectopic pregnancy?

Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
Updated on February 25, 2025
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Ectopic pregnancy, as the name suggests, refers to the implantation of the gestational sac outside the uterine cavity, with the more common types including tubal pregnancy, ovarian pregnancy, and abdominal pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is mainly diagnosed through ultrasound and blood tests. If an ectopic pregnancy is confirmed or highly suspected, treatment should begin, primarily choosing between conservative medication treatment or surgical treatment based on the severity of the condition. 1. If the condition is mild, with HCG levels less than 1000 U/L and the mass volume smaller than 3 cm, conservative medication treatment can be chosen. 2. If the condition is severe, with a larger mass volume and significantly elevated HCG levels, surgical treatment is recommended. Currently, with the advancement of minimally invasive surgery, the majority of ectopic pregnancies can be treated using laparoscopy.

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Written by Zhang Xiu Rong
Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Ectopic pregnancy medical conservative treatment

Under normal circumstances, the treatment of ectopic pregnancy is generally divided into conservative treatment and surgical treatment. Conservative treatment is usually applied when the ectopic pregnancy has not ruptured, using medication for about a week. After one week, a follow-up examination is done to check blood HCG levels and an ultrasound scan. If blood HCG levels have dropped significantly, the ultrasound shows that the mass has not grown, and the symptoms of abdominal pain have decreased, it indicates that the conservative treatment was successful. The threat is only considered resolved when blood HCG returns to normal levels. Otherwise, the conservative treatment for ectopic pregnancy may fail, and surgery will be necessary to treat the ectopic pregnancy symptomatically. If there is a particularly large amount of bleeding or a rupture has occurred, surgical treatment is the only option.

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Written by Tang Mei Xiang
Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Can an ectopic pregnancy be carried to term?

Ectopic pregnancy refers to the implantation of a fertilized egg outside the uterine cavity, commonly known as ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is when the pregnancy sac implants outside the uterine cavity. Because the muscle layer outside the uterine cavity is very thin, it restricts the growth of the pregnancy sac during its development. Furthermore, the trophoblast invades the local blood vessels, causing the vessels to rupture and miscarriage to occur very early in the pregnancy, potentially endangering the patient's life. Therefore, an ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy that cannot be sustained. If an ectopic pregnancy is detected, it should be treated as early as possible.

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Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
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Does an ectopic pregnancy hurt in the early stages?

Ectopic pregnancy refers to the implantation of the gestational sac outside the uterine cavity, with common implantation sites including the fallopian tubes, ovaries, and pelvic cavity. Early ectopic pregnancy can also cause some pain, with common reasons for the pain including the following: First, the main reason is the enlargement of the uterus under the stimulation of estrogen and progesterone in the body, which pulls on the surrounding tissues and ligaments, such as the round ligament of the uterus, uterosacral ligaments, or bilateral adnexa, causing lower abdominal traction pain. This presents as a feeling of heaviness or menstrual-like sensation. This pain is a normal physiological manifestation during early pregnancy and is present in both intrauterine and ectopic pregnancies. Second, in early ectopic pregnancy, sometimes the gestational sac can cause mild irritation and pressure on local tissues, leading to mild localized pain, which is often not very noticeable.

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Written by Tang Mei Xiang
Obstetrics and Gynecology
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What are the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy refers to the implantation of the fertilized egg outside the uterine cavity. Because it is not in the environment of the uterus, ectopic pregnancies often end in miscarriage or rupture. The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy mainly depend on the location of the implantation of the fertilized egg, whether a miscarriage or rupture has occurred, the amount of bleeding, the duration of the bleeding, and whether there is a rupture or miscarriage in a tubal pregnancy. Generally, there are often no specific clinical manifestations in the early stages. If it reaches the middle to late stages, there might be symptoms such as abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. If a tubal pregnancy ruptures, the abdominal pain follows a series of tearing pains, then progresses to generalized abdominal tenderness and rebound pain.

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Written by Yan Qiao
Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Will an IUD cause an ectopic pregnancy?

IUD insertion can cause ectopic pregnancy because it is a minor gynecological surgery and an invasive procedure. Any invasive operation can potentially trigger pelvic inflammatory disease. The occurrence of pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to inflammation of the fallopian tubes, which is one of the main causes of ectopic pregnancy. Moreover, not every patient is suitable for an IUD. These devices come in many shapes, and there should be an optimal match between the shape of the IUD and the size and form of the uterine cavity. If the IUD does not match the patient's uterine cavity size and shape, it may not effectively prevent pregnancy, thus increasing the risk of pregnancy with the IUD in place, including the occurrence of ectopic pregnancies. In conclusion, IUD insertion can lead to ectopic pregnancies.