An ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy in that the fertilized egg attaches itself somewhere other than the uterus – most often in the fallopian tube – thus the common terms tubular or tubal pregnancy. Usually, a woman knows she is pregnant before it is determined that the pregnancy is tubal, as the symptoms of a normal pregnancy and an ectopic pregnancy are the same. The same breast tenderness, missed periods, and nausea that frequently accompany a healthy pregnancy also accompany a tubal pregnancy. Because of this truth, most women who have an ectopic pregnancy are not aware that anything is wrong until several weeks into the gestation period.

Once you and your doctor do discover that your pregnancy is tubal, it becomes necessary to remove the foetal tissue. Failure to do so has the potential to cause serious harm to or even the death of the mother. If the diagnosis is made very early, your doctor may be able to treat the ectopic pregnancy with one or more shots of a medication called methotrexate. If successful, methotrexate causes the cells to cease growing and allows the body to reabsorb the cells once they have dissolved.
Continued monitoring is necessary to ensure that the treatment was successful. If, for some reason, you are unable to have the methotrexate treatment or if it is unsuccessful, the next step would be to remove the ectopic tissue surgically. The surgery would be completed either laparoscopically or with a large abdominal incision. In either surgery, the surgeon removes the ectopic tissue and repairs or removes the fallopian tube.

Of course, if you have an ectopic pregnancy and the treatment is successful, your immediate health risks are pretty much over, however, there can be some emotional issues to contend with. If you knew you were pregnant before the ectopic diagnosis, you may be saddened or even depressed by the fact that your pregnancy resulted in the necessary removal of the ectopic tissue. You may be worried about your ability to conceive again. You may be angry and asking yourself, why me?
In fact, there may be any range of possible emotions, or you may not find yourself with these kinds of feelings. In any event, know that whatever you are feeling is not “wrong” or “stupid.” With the loss of any pregnancy can be devastating, so if you find yourself feeling lost, sad, confused, or whatever, realize that it is perfectly acceptable to grieve over the loss of your pregnancy. Seek the time you need to mourn and the consolation and comfort of loved ones and friends. Discuss your feelings with your doctor. Seek a support group. In short, do whatever it takes to make yourself feel better, and also realize that if you are not struggling with emotional difficulty after your ectopic pregnancy, that is certainly okay too.