What symptoms can a woman experience with ectopic pregnancy?
For women in whom it is suspected that they are in danger of ectopic pregnancy, with the use of testing and imaging it is now often possible to determine a diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy before symptoms develop. It is important to be aware of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy because it can occur in any sexually active woman whether or not she is using contraceptives or has undergone tubal sterilization (“tying the tubes”). Symptoms occur as the embryo grows and as bleeding occurs from expelling of blood through the fimbrial opening of the Fallopian tube or from rupture of the tube. Mild bleeding can occur without causing symptoms. The most common symptoms that a woman presents to a doctor are abdominal pain (90-100% of women), absence of menses (“not getting your period”) (75-90%) and unexpected bleeding through the vagina (50-80%). Before rupture occurs, there might be just a vague soreness or spastic (colic) pain in the abdomen. Abdominal pain can be generally everywhere, or it can
