WEBVTT - How Does Ectopic Pregnancy Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff. Lauren vogelbaumb Here in September of lifestyle

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<v Speaker 1>blogger de Vita leaderly candidly chronicled a devastating event she

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<v Speaker 1>says she never saw cumming, the discovery that her first

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancy was a topic. Laterally wrote on her blog the

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<v Speaker 1>Healthy Maven quote, if you don't know anything about an

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<v Speaker 1>ectopic pregnancy, it's basically a pregnancy that develops outside of

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<v Speaker 1>your uterus. A healthy and viable pregnancy can only develop

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<v Speaker 1>in your uterus. If it develops elsewhere, it is not

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<v Speaker 1>a viable pregnancy. Two percent of all pregnancies are a topic,

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<v Speaker 1>very rare, and of them happen in a fallopian tube.

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<v Speaker 1>At this point, I was in the two percent of

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<v Speaker 1>the two percent in that my topic could not be found.

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<v Speaker 1>But it was time to start making decisions and moving forward.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite people like Lead really in preasing the number of

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<v Speaker 1>frank and comprehensive conversations around pregnancy laws and ectopic pregnancies

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<v Speaker 1>in particular, many people are still unaware of what this

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<v Speaker 1>condition is really all about. So today let's talk about it.

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<v Speaker 1>For the article this episode is based on has to

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<v Speaker 1>Fork spoke with Catherine White, m d, m pH, Assistant

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<v Speaker 1>Professor of obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University. She said,

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<v Speaker 1>an atopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that's growing in a

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<v Speaker 1>place other than the womb or beauterus. The most commonplace

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<v Speaker 1>for deck topic to be is in one of the

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<v Speaker 1>fallopian tubes, but an atopic can also be in the cervix,

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<v Speaker 1>on an old cesarean section scar in the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>the uterus, or on the ovary according to the American

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<v Speaker 1>College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or a COG. Almost all

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<v Speaker 1>ectopic pregnancies over occur in a fallopian tube. This can

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<v Speaker 1>have serious and even deadly consequences because as the pregnancy progresses,

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<v Speaker 1>it can cause the tube to burst, which may lead

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<v Speaker 1>to major internal bleeding, a potentially life threatening emergency that

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<v Speaker 1>requires immediate surgery. So what are the risk factors? This

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<v Speaker 1>is actually a complicated question to answer because research has

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<v Speaker 1>offered conflicting findings on the matter, and because every person

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<v Speaker 1>and every pregnancy is unique. There's no guarantee that a

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<v Speaker 1>nicktopic can be traced back to one specific issue. Lots

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<v Speaker 1>of different conditions and factors can increase the risk like

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<v Speaker 1>previous ectopic pregnancy, fallopian too, pelvic or abdominal surgery, of

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<v Speaker 1>pelvic inflammatory disease and demetriosis, a certain sexually transmitted infections

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<v Speaker 1>or s t i s like chlamydia, a cigarette smoking

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<v Speaker 1>age above thirty five years, a history of infertility, and

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<v Speaker 1>or the use of assisted reproductive technology like in vitro

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<v Speaker 1>fertilization or IVF. But even with all of these potential risks,

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<v Speaker 1>about half of all ectopic pregnancies occur without any of them.

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<v Speaker 1>The Mayo Clinic also indicates that people who use intrauterine

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<v Speaker 1>devices or i u d s should be aware of

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<v Speaker 1>the risks when it comes to a topics. Getting pregnant

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<v Speaker 1>while using an i u D is extremely rare, but

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<v Speaker 1>if a pregnancy does occur with an i u D

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<v Speaker 1>in place, it's more likely to be A topic. White said,

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<v Speaker 1>I wish people knew that a topic pregnancies are common

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<v Speaker 1>and that there's nothing you can do to cause it

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<v Speaker 1>or to prevent it from happening. We also can't move

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<v Speaker 1>the pregnancy from the abnormal location into the uterus. Patients

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<v Speaker 1>ask me that all the time. Because a topic pregnancies

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<v Speaker 1>cannot be saved and can endanger the life of the

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<v Speaker 1>pregnant person. It's important for anyone who can get pregnant

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<v Speaker 1>to be aware of the early signs and symptoms. They

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<v Speaker 1>include vaginal bleeding or spotting after your period has ended,

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<v Speaker 1>a lower belly cramping, and or intense constant pain. As

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<v Speaker 1>Literally wrote on her blog, the week after my period

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<v Speaker 1>should have been finished, I was still spotting and cramping.

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<v Speaker 1>I found this unusual and thought I'd just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>my O B G y N to be safe. We

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<v Speaker 1>chatted pandemic style over the phone, and she suggested I

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<v Speaker 1>come in for some testing, and then if I had

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<v Speaker 1>a pregnancy test at home, I should use it. The

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<v Speaker 1>test confirmed that Literally was in fact pregnant, and, as

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<v Speaker 1>she wrote, we were so happy, but also knew that

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<v Speaker 1>things weren't adding up, so we shouldn't get too excite it.

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<v Speaker 1>Laterly went in for blood work and an ultrasound that afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>and the tests confirmed that something was off. Her blood

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<v Speaker 1>tests indicated the presence of human choreonic gonadotropin or hCG, which,

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<v Speaker 1>as we've talked about in previous episodes, is a hormone

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<v Speaker 1>that's released during pregnancy, but there was no sign of

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<v Speaker 1>a pregnancy on the ultrasound. Although her hCG levels continued

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<v Speaker 1>to rise over the next two days and she began

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<v Speaker 1>experiencing the symptoms of early pregnancy like extreme bloating, acky legs,

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<v Speaker 1>painful breasts, et cetera, the ultrasound was still mysterious clear.

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<v Speaker 1>She wrote, I was officially diagnosed with a pregnancy of

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<v Speaker 1>unknown location. It will likely be the strangest diagnosis I

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<v Speaker 1>will ever receive in my life. It turns out I

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<v Speaker 1>was pregnant. They just couldn't find out where. Ectopic pregnancies

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<v Speaker 1>aren't just concerning and confusing again, they can be life threatening.

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<v Speaker 1>A White said, the biggest risk with an ectopic pregnancy

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<v Speaker 1>is that the site of the ich topic will rupture

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<v Speaker 1>your fallopian tubes and those other non uterous locations were

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<v Speaker 1>not designed to allow a pregnancy to grow safely. When

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<v Speaker 1>rapture occurs, you can bleed so much that you can

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<v Speaker 1>need blood transfusions, and sometimes a patient bleeds so much

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<v Speaker 1>that they die. So it's critical to treat an ectopic

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancy when it's found, either by surgery to remove the

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancy or by medication to dissolve it. Because it's so serious.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about those emergency symptoms. If a rupture of

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<v Speaker 1>an ectopic pregnancy does occur, the sim TEMs may include

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<v Speaker 1>severe abdominal or pelvic pain, along with vaginal bleeding, extreme

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<v Speaker 1>dizziness or fainting, and pain in the shoulder. Unfortunately, Laterally

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<v Speaker 1>experienced these for herself after she felt a sharp jab

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<v Speaker 1>following early treatment for her topic. She was rushed to

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<v Speaker 1>the emergency room and underwent surgery, which resulted in the

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<v Speaker 1>loss of her left fallopian tube. Although all a topic

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancies inevitably and in pregnancy loss, most people who experience

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<v Speaker 1>of topics can go on to have healthy pregnancies later on,

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<v Speaker 1>and people who have had one topic pregnancy are, however,

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<v Speaker 1>at higher risk of having another, and so it's important

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<v Speaker 1>to stay alert for those signs and symptoms that we

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<v Speaker 1>discussed earlier. The White said that based on her experience

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<v Speaker 1>in the clinic and having seen countless patients endure the

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<v Speaker 1>emotional fallout of the topics, she hopes the medical field

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<v Speaker 1>will evolve to cultivate more empathy and support for such patients.

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<v Speaker 1>Leadly says that her experience brought about profound grief, but

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<v Speaker 1>also immense gratitude. She wrote, while I would never wish

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<v Speaker 1>this experience on anyone, I am forever changed in the

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<v Speaker 1>way I view pregnancy and having children, and this perspective

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<v Speaker 1>I wouldn't change for the world. So now I'm in

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<v Speaker 1>this club I never wanted to be a part of,

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<v Speaker 1>but especially the ectopic pregnancy club, which has so few members.

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<v Speaker 1>I wish I had more women to talk to about this.

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<v Speaker 1>So far, I've had friends tell me about a friend

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<v Speaker 1>of a friend or a sister who went through this experience,

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<v Speaker 1>but no one who I know personally. My hope with

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<v Speaker 1>sharing this post is not only to help me heal

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<v Speaker 1>from my experience, but also to connect with other women

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<v Speaker 1>who have gone through it too. If you think that

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<v Speaker 1>you are someone close to you may be experiencing an

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<v Speaker 1>ectopic pregnancy, get in touch with the medical professional right away.

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<v Speaker 1>Many clinics and organizations provide financial and logistical support for

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancy losses like these. There has been concerned since the

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<v Speaker 1>Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade that states now

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<v Speaker 1>banning abortion ending ectopic pregnancies will become more difficult. That's

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<v Speaker 1>because abortion bands sometimes use vague warding that could prevent

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<v Speaker 1>healthcare providers from ending even a dangerous unviable pregnancy, as

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<v Speaker 1>poll ectopic pregnancies are before a patient is in immediate

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<v Speaker 1>danger of death. However, even if you live in a

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<v Speaker 1>state with abortion bands, treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is

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<v Speaker 1>considered life saving, so although it may be more difficult

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<v Speaker 1>to access care, medical professional will be able to help

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<v Speaker 1>you obtain it. You can also turn to the National

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<v Speaker 1>Network of Abortion Funds for assistance. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article what is an ectopic Pregnancy? On how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com written by Michelle Konstantinovski. The brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of I Heart Radio and partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler

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<v Speaker 1>klang A. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the

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