How to Treat an Ectopic Pregnancy

An ectopic pregnancy is commonly referred to as a tubal pregnancy because 95 percent occur in a fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy needs to be treated immediately to avoid fallopian tube damage or life threatening blood loss. When identified early, ectopic pregnancies are treatable with medication that stops the pregnancy. If the pregnancy is further along, laparoscopy is usually performed to remove the ectopic tissue and repair the fallopian tube.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Undergo several blood tests to measure pregnancy hormone (hCG) levels and an ultrasound to detect an ectopic pregnancy as early as possible.

2. Choose to treat the pregnancy with medication if detected early or there is no sign of bleeding in the fallopian tube. This usually involves an injection of methotrexate.

3. Follow up with several blood tests during the week to check if hCG levels are dropping. If your hCG levels have a significant drop after one week, then you will be tested once a week until the hCG level indicates a successfully terminated pregnancy.

4. Receive another dose of methotrexate if your hCG levels do not drop after one week. Continue to monitor hCG levels as outlined in Step 3.

5. Proceed with laparoscopy if your hCG levels do not drop and the ectopic growth could lead to a tubal rupture. The doctor makes a small incision near or in the navel and removes the ectopic tissue. The fallopian tube is either repaired or removed.

6. Monitor hCG levels after surgery. If the level remains high, additional surgery or treatment with methotrexate may be necessary to prevent the growth of fetal cells that were not entirely removed during surgery.

Tips & Warnings

• Methotrexate is most successful as the sole treatment during the first six weeks of pregnancy.
• Treatment may not be necessary when an early ectopic pregnancy shows signs of miscarrying naturally. However, regular testing of hCG levels should be conducted to make sure they are dropping.
• Emergency surgery is necessary when an ectopic pregnancy causes the fallopian tube to rupture. Typically the ruptured tube is damaged beyond repair and must be removed.

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