Where does an ectopic pregnancy develop?
Most ectopic pregnancies occur when a fertilised egg attaches to the inside lining of a fallopian tube (a 'tubal ectopic'). Rarely, an ectopic pregnancy occurs in other places such as in the ovary or inside the abdomen. The rest of this leaflet deals only with tubal ectopic pregnancy.
What are the problems with an ectopic pregnancy?
A tubal ectopic pregnancy never survives. Possible outcomes include the following.
- The pregnancy often dies after a few days. About half of ectopic pregnancies probably end like this. You may have no symptoms, and you may never have known that you were pregnant. Sometimes there is slight pain and some vaginal bleeding like a miscarriage. Nothing further needs to be done if this occurs.
- The pregnancy may grow for a while in the narrow fallopian tube. This can stretch the tube and cause symptoms. This is when an ectopic pregnancy is commonly diagnosed.
- The narrow fallopian tube can only stretch a little. If the pregnancy grows further it will normally rupture (split) the fallopian tube. This can cause heavy internal bleeding.
