Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy do not differ much from a normal pregnancy at first. Only with time, disturbing signals begin to appear, especially bleeding and pain in the lower abdomen. How to recognize an ectopic pregnancy?
In the beginningectopic pregnancy symptoms( ectopic ) are typical pregnancy symptoms: amenorrhea, breast enlargement and swelling, or feeling unwell. Even a standard 50 percent pregnancy test. gives a positive result, because the concentration of the free beta subunit of chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) - the hormone to which the test responds - also increases in ectopic pregnancy, although much less.
Ectopic pregnancy symptoms: the classic triad
The classic triad of ectopic pregnancy symptoms is:
- abdominal pain
- irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting
- tumor of the appendages (this can only be determined by the doctor, not the patient herself)
These symptoms do not have to appear all at once. It happens that the only sign of an abnormality is brown, bloody discharge, not accompanied by pain. When spotting and pain occur, the likelihood of an ectopic pregnancy is very high.
Ectopic pregnancy symptoms: characteristic pain
The pain is distinctive: it usually affects only one side of the abdomen (left or right fallopian tube), feels dull or stinging, does not go away by itself. In the advanced stage, when internal bleeding has already occurred, the pain becomes acute and affects the shoulders (especially the right one). The woman feels pressure on the rectum and urine, there is a stinging sensation when breathing. Internal bleeding is recognized by a rapid pulse, low blood pressure, pale skin, and severe sweating. In such a situation, time is of the essence - you need to get to the hospital as soon as possible.