Tubal Pregnancy Laparoscopy
Tubal pregnancy is when the fertilized egg has implanted, usually, in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus. The egg may also be situated in the ovary, cervix and even elsewhere within the abdominal cavity. The main health risk in this type of pregnancy is, should the fallopian tube rupture, which it will, if not caught early enough, the pregnant woman will suffer internal bleeding. In the early part of the 19th century, the mortality rate from tubal pregnancy was 50%, this had dropped to 5% by the end of the 19th century. Even though the rate of tubal pregnancy has risen in recent years the mortality rate has still been dropping. When it is diagnosed early enough, it can be managed very easily with a laparoscopy.
There are a few prior problems that can cause the risk of an tubal pregnancy to be higher in some women that others. These are; a pelvic infection such a chlamydia, this can damage the fallopian tubes or even cause a blockage in the fallopian tubes, a condition called endometriosis, or fibroid tumors, these can narrow the fallopian tubes and cause the egg problems in getting through. If you have had a reversal on a prior tubal ligation, this can cause scar tissue, thus impeding the smooth transportation of the egg through the fallopian tube. In some women the use of the Intra Uterine Device for contraception may cause an tubal pregnancy, but as the percentage of women who become pregnant while using an I.U.D. is very low, there is less to worry about in this instance.
The symptoms of an tubal pregnancy are; spotting of blood, pain in the abdomen of pelvic area and shoulder pain. Also, dizziness, weakness and fainting may mean that you have internal bleeding due to a ruptured fallopian tube. All of these symptoms may mean that something is wrong so you should go to your doctor straight away. The doctor will be able to diagnose and tubal pregnancy very easily through doing certain tests, blood hormone testing or an ultrasound scan. The scan will be able to check if the pregnancy is within the uterus.
The best treatment for an tubal pregnancy is surgical removal. If this is done via the laparoscopy technique. This will involve making a couple of small incisions in the abdomen and inserting the laparoscope, a tiny camera, and then through the other incision he can work to remove the pregnancy. This procedure saves making any large cuts in your abdomen. This method can be used for a ruptured tubal pregnancy as well as an unruptured one.
The laparoscopy is used because it can cause you less recovery time due to the fact you suffer less pain after the operation, also, due to the smaller incisions made in your abdomen you have a smaller risk of infection plus a quicker healing of those tiny cuts.
There are very specific health problems that do make a patient unsuitable for a laparoscopy. If a patient has a large ruptured tubal pregnancy or suffers from any sort of cardiac problems then the doctor will be unable to perform this operation. In the majority of cases however, as long as the tubal pregnancy has been found early enough, you should be able to have this operation performed.
