5 Things You Need to Know About Ectopic Pregnancy Signs

1. Doubled Over in Pain

An ectopic pregnancy can cause abdominal cramps. These cramps occur about six to eight weeks after the missed menstrual period. At first, these cramps may be dull just like menstrual cramps. A woman usually feels the abdominal cramps on one side of the lower abdomen. The abdominal cramping is because of the stretching of the fallopian tube that contains the fertilized egg. If the fallopian tube ruptures, the abdominal cramps suddenly become intense and sharp. This is an emergency because internal bleeding can occur from the ruptured fallopian tube.

2. A Period During Pregnancy?

Vaginal bleeding is a common sign of an ectopic pregnancy. The vaginal bleeding is usually dark brown to bright red spotting. Bleeding occurs because the fertilized egg is trying to attach outside of the uterus. The most common location of an ectopic pregnancy is in the fallopian tubes. If the fallopian tube has ruptured, bleeding suddenly becomes bright red and very heavy, like a menstrual period. Your doctor should check out any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy as soon as possible.

3. The Room is Spinning

An ectopic pregnancy sometimes causes a woman to become dizzy, light headed or faint. These symptoms become more intense as the fertilized egg grows because it stretches the fallopian tube. As the fallopian tube stretches, the possibility of it rupturing increases. Although some women feel light headed during a normal pregnancy, any sign of being light headed during the first trimester of the pregnancy should be reported to a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

4. A Pain in the...Shoulder?

If an ectopic pregnancy causes the fallopian tube to rupture, internal bleeding will often occur. The collection of blood in the abdomen irritates nerves in the area. Most abdominal nerves go to the shoulders. These nerves cause one shoulder to hurt. The pain usually feels sharp and intense. Seek immediate medical attention if you have localized shoulder pain during the first trimester along with abdominal cramps that are on the same side as the shoulder pain or vaginal bleeding.

5. The Shocking Reality

Sometimes, when a fertilized egg attaches in one of the fallopian tubes, the egg grows large enough to rupture or burst the fallopian tube. Shock is a sign of a ruptured fallopian tube. The signs of shock are dizziness, cold and clammy skin, a rapid pulse, confusion, shallow breathing and blue tinted lips or nail beds. If you are experiencing signs of shock, go to the emergency room. Any delay in medical treatment could be fatal. Make sure that you let the emergency room personnel know that you suspect that you have an ectopic pregnancy so they can do the appropriate tests.