Ectopic Pregnancy

It is possible to become pregnant even if you have problems with your fallopian tubes. Surgery can help by removing a blockage, reconstructing the damaged end of a tube, or removing scar tissue. IVF is another way of trying to become pregnant. It doesn’t repair the tubes but bypasses them to help you conceive.

What it an Ectopic Pregnancy?

If you get pregnant with a damaged fallopian tube, you increase your risk of having an ectopic, or tubal, pregnancy. This happens when the fertilized egg is unable to pass to the uterus so the embryo grows in the fallopian tube instead. This happens in 1 out of every 40 or 50 pregnancies and is most like to occur around the 8th week of pregnancy.

Symptoms

The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy may initially feel like symptoms of a normal pregnancy but can change to vaginal bleeding, sharp or stabbing abdominal cramps, pain on one side of the body that may spread through your belly, dizziness, weakness or fainting.

If you have these symptoms, you should see a doctor immediately since you may need emergency surgery to reduce the risk of heavy bleeding (hemorrhaging) if the tubes rupture. An ectopic pregnancy cannot be saved. If the tube has not burst and the pregnancy hasn’t progressed very far, you may only need laparoscopic surgery to remove the embryo and repair the damage. If, however, the tube has ruptured it may have to be removed.

Future Pregnancies

You can have a normal pregnancy after an ectopic pregnancy. If you still have both fallopian tubes, you have a 60% chance of having a successful pregnancy in the future. Even if one fallopian tube was removed, the remaining one should be enough to let you get pregnant again. Your doctor may suggest you wait from 3 to 6 months before tying to conceive.