Abdominal Pregnancy: Cause, Symptom and Treatment

Abdominal pregnancy is a type of ectopic pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum gets implanted in the abdomen and not in the ovary or the fallopian tube. It is not found in the broad ligament. The implantation occurs in the peritoneal cavity. Though this condition is very rare, if it occurs, the mortality rate is higher than in the case of most of the other ectopic pregnancies. In some instances, despite the condition, viable infants have born.

Causes: As mentioned earlier, abdominal pregnancy occurs when the egg does not migrate through the fallopian tube to implant inside the uterus and instead, settles in he abdomen itself. The main cause of this condition is unknown but it has been found that the condition occurs mostly in cases where women suffer from an inflammatory disease in the pelvic cavity. This happens because any swelling or inflammation can cause the fertilized egg to travel back into the stomach, bowels or some other regions of the abdomen. Though they are not exactly causes for the condition, smoking, conceiving in an age over 40 years and in-vitro procedures have the tendency to cause abdominal pregnancy.

Symptoms: A women who has the condition of abdominal pregnancy may exhibit a number of symptoms that include

1. Continuous pain in the abdomen in 26-28 weeks of pregnancy with the pain hard to localize

2. The uterus being ill-defined and feeling rather odd when palpated. The parts of the fetus might be abnormally hard or abnormally easy to feel. The baby may lie in an abnormal position which might be oblique or transverse.

3. The normal occurrence of periods despite being pregnant

4. Loss of weight or in some cases, rapid gain in weight and poor general health

5. Frequent lightheadedness and sometimes even episodes of heavy bleeding in the vagina

In most of the cases, the women having abdominal pregnancies do no identify the physical symptoms for a number of weeks post conception. In a number of cases, the women do not realize that they are pregnant because of the normal occurrence of periods.

When suspected with the condition, a computerized tomography scan or ultrasound can be done in order to identify whether there is a case of ectopic pregnancy. If the images and tests point towards it, the blood samples are tested and any abnormality like an increased level of gonadotropin (hormone secreted by an embryo) can diagnose for abdominal pregnancy. A laparoscopy is done to find the exact position of the growing embryo.

Treatment: surgery is the best solution to a case of abdominal pregnancy. Here, the patient's abdomen is cut open and the embryo is removed in the most delicate way possible. If there are nay wounds that are causing internal bleeding, then they are compressed. The damaged tissue is sutured in order to avoid any shocks to the patient.

With the advancement in technology, surgical techniques have evolved and these, along with medications for pain relief provide a safe treatment for women with the condition. They can prevent any permanent damage to any of the internal organs including the reproductive system of the patient.