If you have an ectopic pregnancy, how do you know to go to the dr?

If you are bleeding and not cramping and you are coming up positive for a pregnancy, you might have one.

If you have pain on your side, you need to confirm it is not an ectopic, it could also be a luteal cyst or something else.

Ectopic can be VERY dangerous, life threatening, so if you suspect it you should confirm. They can not see or find he ectopic unless you are a few weeks pregnant though.

Why do you suspect one?

My mom had one. She said she had excruciating pain kind of over to the side of her stomach, and since she’d had 2 other babies before she knew something was wrong. I don’t know how a first time mother would know, b/c my doctor says that it’s normal to have very painful “growing pains” early on and they get worse later into pregnancy.

Yes, I do, but I don’t have insurance, so I don’t want to go in if it’s not necessary. I’m 3 weeks late, 2 neg preg test, 1 neg from the dr, PAINFUL cramps, pain near my left ovary, so so so lightheaded, headaches, boobs hurt, back pain, pressure in my uterus, tired nausous. Basically all the symtoms, but it very unlikely for me to be preg. I’m miserable

I realized I have more to say. If you do have one catching it early means you can get a shot of methotrexate to get rid of it instead of surgery. Surgery means that you have a high risk of developing scar tissue at that tube redusing your chances of fertility on that side. Also, god forbid it ruptures your tube, you can bleed to death. You would be in sigificant pain if you were about to rupture, so I would not be paranoid, but you should get checked.

Yeah I heard that.

Oh, yeah, and I’m very bloated

Suspicious symptoms are one sided crampy pain that is getting worse over time with positive pregnancy test. Ectopics are usually diagnosed using a combination of transvaginal pelvic ultrasound and quantitative Hcg testing. A pregnancy test measures Hcg, but only tells you positive or negative depending on whether there’s enough hormone there to trigger a positive. A quant measures the exact amount of Hcg. There’s a certain Hcg level that if you’re there, and ultrasound can’t find the gestational sac in the uterus, they know for sure that it’s an ectopic.

Negative test means it is unlikely to me, but I am not a doctor. What side is your pain?

Oh, you said left ovary, sorry, I did not read well. Hmmm, that is tricky. Are you constipated? Bleeding at all from your rectum?

hmm..I’m hoping to get that test, but reguardless something is wrong.

It’s my left. I have had a cyst burst before, but it’s not like that. It’s a very weird pain

Nope

Agree that if the period is 3 weeks late, and the pregnancy test is still negative, not likely to be an ectopic. 10–20 years ago, the urine pregnancy tests were less sensitive and sometimes could be negative with ectopic, but the modern tests are quite sensitive and will pick up even an ectopic early.

Nope, not constipated?

No, not at all

Still could be an ovarian cyst – symptoms can vary. If the pain had come on suddenly and severely, I would be thinking about the small possibility of ovarian torsion, where the ovary rotates and twists on it’s ligaments, cutting off blood supply. It’s a true emergency. But that’s not the kind of thing that comes on gradually over a couple of weeks.

A transvaginal pelvic ultrasound would help sort out a lot of possibilities.

I was thinking maybe something on the descending side of your colon, that you mistook for ovary, but doesn’t seem so. Do you have fibroids? Maybe one grew just enough that it is hurting you. Rare, but possible. Since you have had cysts before, you might be off and on PCOS, and this is another cyst, even though if feels different? That might explain a late period? I think you might have to go to the doctor for an ultrasound. Sorry :(.

Whoa. Yeah, I think it’s something scary. I’ve never heard of that. I was wondering if it’s a cyst that’s a little bigger than normal and is throwing everything off or something.

I’ll let @MagsRags answer, since we seem to be answering so similarly :).

lol, ok. Yeah, I’m just freaking out because of all the symptoms. I’m planning on going, but like I said no insurance, so I’m scared to.

Let your doctor know you have no insurance and maybe that will help him/her decide in what order to do certain tests. Probably planned parenthood is very reasonable, have you tried there?

@Steverpeeps , you said you think it’s something scary. Are you worried about anything specific, other than ectopic? How old are you?

Ovarian cysts can be quite painful sometimes, but they are not dangerous. Fibroids also are not dangerous, aren’t common in young women I’m making an assumption here and wouldn’t explain the late period and hormonal symptoms.

Another possibility to consider as a GYN cause for one sided pain would be a PID pelvic infection that is localized to one tube, but again that wouldn’t explain the missed period and other symptoms.

Are you using a birth control method? If not, do you want to be pregnant? If not, maybe this is a good time to get started on reliable birth control. If it is an ovarian cyst, starting the depo shot or the pill would help it get it started toward going away. And then you wouldn’t have to go through this worry again.

I have been to a place like that.

Yes, I’m worried it could be all kinds of things. I’m worried it could be a cyst or tumor, or something they have to go in and get out, or something bad that can happen down there that isn’t a pregnancy or is. I know they can be, like I said, I had one burst and that’s how i found out that I have endometriosis. I also know that if you have endometriosis you are more at risk or ectopic. I don’t know much about fibroids. I’m almost 21 by the way. I already have a two year old, so I’ve been pregnant before, and that’s why I’m so freaked out, cause it’s the same syptoms. I know each one can be different though. I’m not on birth control and am not interested in it. But me and my husband are using protection.

Probably not fibroids at 21.

How was endometriosis diagnosed? It’s a condition that we’re suspicious about when a woman has increasingly painful menstrual periods, and occasionally, there is evidence on ultrasound, but the only way to make a certain diagnosis is to see it directly, like during a laparoscopy. Once the diagnosis is made, then recommended first line of treatment is usually again OCPs or depo or mirena IUD to decrease the amount of endometrium that develops inside and outside the uterus. If that doesn’t work well, next they usually try a stronger medication called lupron, that essentially simulates menopause.

Endometriosis can eventually cause chronic pain. The location of the pain depends on where the endometrial implants are.

I know if can cause pain, I’ve been dealing with it for almost 2 years. This is not from that. I did have Mirena, I had to have it taken out cause it caused an infection and my uterus rejected it. I’m am hopefully going to get in to a place that goes by your income tomorrow

Are you having unusual discharge? Chlamydia many times causes side pain, but you might also get a discharge change with it, could be ywllow or green, but I hear yellow more often. Did you have sex without a condom within the last three days before your symptoms started to set in?

I never have sex without a condom. Also, I just went to the dr, and we’re waiting on blood work, but she thinks it’s a weird regular prego, or and ectopic, or i may be about to miscarry. So, she thinks I’m still am reguarless….weird

Thanks for the update.