Early Symptoms of Ectopic Pregnancy
Disease description:
Last month, I used a pregnancy test strip and found out I was pregnant. These days, I have been feeling some abdominal pain and experiencing vaginal bleeding. I looked it up and found that it might be an ectopic pregnancy, which has made me quite worried. I would like to know what the early symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Ectopic pregnancy, medically termed as extrauterine pregnancy, refers to the implantation and development of a fertilized egg outside the uterine cavity. Its early symptoms may be subtle and similar to those of normal early pregnancy, including amenorrhea, abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and fainting.
Most patients have a history of 6–8 weeks' amenorrhea, although some may experience no obvious amenorrhea or have no history of amenorrhea at all. Abdominal pain is the most common early symptom of ectopic pregnancy, typically presenting as mild or distending pain on one side of the lower abdomen, which may progress to severe pain as the condition worsens.
Vaginal bleeding differs from normal menstruation, often manifesting as light, irregular bleeding with a darker color. In severe cases, significant internal bleeding may lead to symptoms such as pallor, cold sweats, palpitations, decreased blood pressure, or even shock.
Other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and frequent urination, may also occur in normal early pregnancy; therefore, these symptoms alone are insufficient to determine whether a pregnancy is ectopic. If any of the above symptoms occur, prompt medical attention is recommended to avoid delays in treatment.
