Ectopic pregnancy, also called extrauterine pregnancy, is when a fertilized egg grows outside a woman’s uterus, somewhere else in their belly. It can cause life-threatening bleeding and needs medical care right away.
In more than 90% of cases, the egg implants in a fallopian tube. This is called a tubal pregnancy.
Most of the time, an ectopic pregnancy happens within the first few weeks of pregnancy. You might not even know that you’re pregnant and may not notice any problem.
Early signs of an ectopic pregnancy include:
An ectopic pregnancy can cause your fallopian tube to burst or rupture. Emergency symptoms include major pain, with or without severe bleeding. Call your doctor right away if you have heavy vaginal bleeding with lightheadedness, fainting, or shoulder pain, or if you have severe belly pain, especially on one side.
You may never know why you have an ectopic pregnancy. One cause could be a damaged fallopian tube. It could keep the fertilized egg from getting into your uterus.
You’re more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy if you: