How can women self-diagnose ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy is not unfamiliar to many women. If it is not discovered in time, it may directly threaten the safety of women's lives. Therefore, more and more women are beginning to realize the importance of pregnancy tests. So how can women self-check for ectopic pregnancy? Can HCG be used to detect it? The following editor will give you a detailed introduction.

Can HCG diagnose ectopic pregnancy?

Experts say: hCG value alone cannot be used to diagnose ectopic pregnancy. It must be combined with other testing methods for further examination to confirm. And it must be judged by continuous examination of HCG values. In the early stages of normal pregnancy, the blood HCG monitoring value doubles, but ectopic pregnancy does not have this feature as a basis for identification. If a woman suspects an ectopic pregnancy after becoming pregnant, it is best to cooperate with B-ultrasound examination to diagnose whether it is an ectopic pregnancy.

How to use blood HCG to diagnose ectopic pregnancy

Continuous measurement: A single measurement of blood HCG can confirm whether a pregnancy is present. Patients suspected of ectopic pregnancy should undergo continuous blood HCG measurement. If the blood HCG rises by <50% at 48-hour intervals, ectopic pregnancy should be considered.

Blood HCG level: 85% of patients with ectopic pregnancy have lower blood HCG levels than those with intrauterine pregnancy of the same gestational age. 2.5% of normal intrauterine pregnancy patients have blood HCG levels lower than the normal 95%. Blood HCG levels can also be lower in patients with spontaneous abortion at any stage. The blood HCG levels of the three overlap.

Doubling time: The doubling time of blood HCG in normal early intrauterine pregnancy is 1.4~2.2 days, while in abnormal pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage), the doubling time of blood HCG is 3~8 days.

Comparison with other diagnostic methods: The positive predictive value of using a normal rise in HCG to exclude ectopic pregnancy is about 95%. Comparison of ultrasound results and HCG concentration can also estimate ectopic pregnancy. When HCG reaches 1000U/L, vaginal ultrasound should be able to identify an intrauterine gestational sac. When HCG must reach 6500U/L, abdominal ultrasound can identify an intrauterine gestational sac. If this is not the case, ectopic pregnancy should be suspected.

Importance of ectopic pregnancy examination

The function of blood HCG test is to determine whether a woman is pregnant by measuring the HCG value in her blood. Compared with traditional urine HCG, blood HCG is more accurate, has smaller errors, and can be tested earlier. In order to detect the accuracy of pregnancy, doctors generally recommend doing a blood HCG early pregnancy test. "Quantitative" blood HCG test can respond to pregnancy more sensitively and accurately than ordinary "qualitative" urine test with early pregnancy test paper, and its accuracy rate is over 99%. In addition, for multiple pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies, abnormal embryonic development retardation, hydatidiform mole, certain endocrine diseases or tumors, etc., the blood HCG value is combined with the clinical situation and other test results, and a correct judgment can often be made through comprehensive analysis.

Causes of ectopic pregnancy

In a normal pregnancy, sperm and egg combine at the junction of the ampulla and isthmus of the fallopian tube to form a fertilized egg. 30 hours after fertilization, the fertilized egg moves toward the uterus with the peristalsis of the fallopian tube and the push of the cilia of the fallopian tube epithelium. If the fertilized egg has not entered the inner side of the uterine cavity before the late blastocyst, ectopic pregnancy is prone to occur. The causes of ectopic pregnancy include fallopian tube inflammation, fallopian tube dysplasia or abnormal function, and contraceptive failure of intrauterine contraceptive devices. Disease factors and bad living habits can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy in women.

1. Inflammation of the fallopian tube. It can be divided into tubal mucositis and perisalpingitis, both of which are common causes of tubal pregnancy. Severe tubal mucositis can cause complete blockage of the lumen and lead to infertility. The lesions of perisalpingitis are mainly in the serosa or seromuscular layer of the fallopian tube, which often causes adhesion around the fallopian tube, twisting of the fallopian tube, stenosis of the lumen, weakened peristalsis of the tube wall muscles, and affects the movement of the fertilized egg.

2. History of tubal pregnancy. Women who have had tubal pregnancy are more likely to have another tubal pregnancy after surgical treatment.

3. Insertion of intrauterine contraceptive device. The use of an intrauterine contraceptive device itself does not increase the incidence of ectopic pregnancy, but if a woman becomes pregnant due to contraceptive failure of the intrauterine contraceptive device, the chance of ectopic pregnancy is greater.

4. Hypoplastic or dysfunctional fallopian tubes. Hypoplastic fallopian tubes are often manifested as excessively long fallopian tubes, poorly developed muscular layer, and lack of mucosal cilia. The function of the fallopian tubes is regulated by estrogen and progesterone. If the regulation fails, it will affect the normal operation of the fertilized egg.

5. Migratory fertilized egg. When an egg is fertilized in one fallopian tube, the fertilized egg enters the opposite fallopian tube through the uterine cavity or abdominal cavity. This is called migratory fertilized egg. If the migration time is too long, the fertilized egg will grow larger and implant in the opposite fallopian tube, forming a tubal pregnancy.

6. Disease causes. Compression by tumors around the fallopian tubes, such as uterine fibroids or ovarian tumors, sometimes affects the patency of the fallopian tube lumen, which blocks the movement of the fertilized egg. Endometriosis can increase the possibility of the fertilized egg implanting in the fallopian tube.

7. Multiple artificial abortions. Repeated and frequent artificial abortions will cause endometrial trauma, making it difficult for the embryo to implant in the uterine cavity. Instead, the embryo will be transferred to another place for implantation, resulting in ectopic pregnancy.

8. Bad living habits: Smoking, alcoholism, and taking ovulation-stimulating drugs can increase the incidence of ectopic pregnancy.