Ectopic Pregnancy Symptoms: Why I Should Have Trusted My Instincts

An ectopic pregnancy is the medical term for what is most commonly referred to as a tubal pregnancy. Like most women of child-bearing years, I was familiar with this term but hadn't given this type of pregnancy much thought, nor did I familiarize myself with ectopic pregnancy symptoms. In retrospect, maybe I chose to ignore it and hoped it didn't happen to me. I had always heard that an ectopic pregnancy could be dangerous to the mother and fatal for the developing embryo.

The word ectopic is derived from the Greek word ektopos meaning "out of place" and that is exactly what occurs with an ectopic pregnancy. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an ectopic pregnancy as "occurring in an abnormal position or in an unusual manner." An ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy where the fertilized egg begins to develop outside of the uterus (womb). Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes but in rare situations can happen in the cervix, abdominal area or the ovary.

Ectopic pregnancy symptoms can vary with different women and the symptoms can also depend on the cause and the abnormal location of the embryo. Many women experience the same symptoms with an ectopic pregnancy as they would in the beginning stages of a normal pregnancy, such as missing a period, nausea and sore breasts. I didn't even skip a period, so my ectopic pregnancy symptoms were very vague.

Ectopic pregnancy symptoms can often mimic the symptoms of the same conditions that cause this dangerous type of pregnancy in the first place. This makes it even more difficult to reach a correct diagnosis. The ectopic pregnancy symptoms I experienced were the same as the many ovarian cysts that had plagued me for years.

I had been diagnosed in my early twenties with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). I also had frequent ovarian cysts and my doctor had already found small amounts of endometriosis. My menstrual cycles were often painful and I would sometimes require antibiotics after menstruating to combat infections from the PID.