Ectopic Pregnancy Symptoms
Disease description:
These days, my abdomen has been experiencing mild pain, and there has been some slight bleeding, although not much. My period is many days late; initially, I thought I might be pregnant, but now I'm really scared. Could it be an ectopic pregnancy? What are the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Ectopic pregnancy, medically referred to as extrauterine pregnancy, refers to the implantation and development of a fertilized egg outside the uterine cavity.
In the early stages, some patients may experience symptoms similar to those of a normal pregnancy, such as cessation of menstruation, which can easily be overlooked. Most patients have a history of amenorrhea lasting 6–8 weeks. As the embryo grows, abdominal pain often becomes a prominent symptom, typically presenting as dull or distending pain on one side of the lower abdomen.
If a tubal pregnancy results in miscarriage or rupture, the patient will suddenly experience severe, tearing-like pain on one side of the lower abdomen, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Vaginal bleeding is also a common symptom, usually presenting as irregular spotting with dark red or deep brown blood, in small amounts that generally do not exceed the menstrual flow.
In severe cases, acute intra-abdominal bleeding and intense abdominal pain can lead to syncope and shock, manifested as pallor, cold and clammy extremities, and a drop in blood pressure. If a woman of childbearing age has a history of amenorrhea and experiences the aforementioned abnormal symptoms, ectopic pregnancy must be highly suspected, and immediate medical attention should be sought for detailed examinations, such as serum HCG testing and ultrasound, to enable early diagnosis and prompt treatment.
