At first, the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are the same as for a normal pregnancy. They include:
- missed period,
- tiredness,
- nausea, and
- breast tenderness.
Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy normally appear between weeks 4 to 10 of the pregnancy, often two weeks after a missed period, if you have regular periods.
The symptoms are described below.
One-sided abdominal pain
You may expereince pain on one side of your abdomen which can be persistent and severe.
Vaginal bleeding
Vaginal bleeding is often a different type of bleeding than your regular period. It could be lighter, or darker, than usual, and is sometimes more watery than your regular period. It is often described as looking like prune juice. Some women often mistake this bleeding for their regular period and do not realise that they are pregnant.
Shoulder tip pain
Shoulder tip pain is felt where your shoulder ends and your arm begins. It is not known exactly why shoulder tip pain occurs, but it is a sign that the ectopic pregnancy is causing internal bleeding.
The bleeding is thought to irritate the phrenic nerve, which is found in your diaphragm (the muscle that is used during breathing and separates your chest cavity from your abdomen). The irritation to the phrenic nerve causes referred pain in the shoulder blade. Referred pain is pain that is felt in one part of the body but originates in another part.
Bowel pain
You may experience pain when passing urine, or stools (faeces).
Collapse
The most serious symptom of an ectopic pregnancy is known as 'collapse'. This occurs when the ectopic pregnancy has ruptured the fallopian tubes, and is causing dangerous levels of internal bleeding.
People who have experienced collapse describe it as feeling light-headed and faint, often accompanied by a feeling of 'something being very wrong'. You may also:
- feel sick,
- have an increased heart rate,
- look pale, and
- have diarrhoea.
If your fallopian tubes rupture, you will need emergency surgery to prevent blood loss.
More than 50% of women who have an ectopic pregnancy experience no symptoms at all, until they experience a collapse. If you have had an ectopic pregnancy in the past, and you think you may be pregnant again, you should see your GP straight away. They will be able to arrange an examination to determine whether or not the pregnancy is ectopic.
In rare cases, a ruptured fallopian tube can be fatal but, in the vast majority of cases, treatment is successful.
