5 Effective Tips To Prevent An Ectopic Pregnancy

5 effective tips to prevent an ectopic pregnancy

Very few women in the whole wide world can assert that they’ve had a smooth pregnancy. A woman’s world undergoes an incredible transformation when she gets to know that she’s pregnant. Women become extra cautious about what they eat, their work schedule, and alter their exercise regime to ensure that the baby remains unharmed. An expecting mother does everything in her power to make sure that nothing hinders the baby’s growth and development process.

Even if you tested positive in the home pregnancy test, it is essential to visit the doctor in the early stages of your pregnancy. Doing so can go a long way in identifying potential problems. Ectopic pregnancy is one such health condition that is diagnosed when the expecting mother visits the doctor in the initial stages of pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancy is a condition that arises when the fertilized egg attaches itself to a fallopian tube, which carries the egg to the uterus, rather than the uterus, where the baby’s growth and development takes place. This is a serious condition and the treatment involves terminating the pregnancy.

Studies have revealed that once a woman goes through ectopic pregnancy, there are high chances of its recurrence. Therefore, to prevent going through the physical and emotional turmoil again, there are certain effective measures one can adhere to. They are as follows:

Reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases
Indulging in unprotected sexual intercourse can increase one’s chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia or gonorrhea, and this, in turn, can make women more vulnerable to an ectopic pregnancy. Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy, it is essential to indulge in safe sex as it reduces one’s chances of contracting any STIs and thereby, preventing an ectopic pregnancy.

Quit smoking
Smoking has never known to yield any positive results, and studies have linked smoking to ectopic pregnancy. To prevent an ectopic pregnancy in the future, it is advisable to quit smoking as soon as possible. The more cigarettes one smokes throughout the day, the higher are the risks of having an ectopic pregnancy in the future. As giving up smoking is a difficult feat as it is quite addictive, it appears more practical to start this journey by reducing the number of cigarettes smoked in a day.

Understand the risk factors
One of the major factors that contribute to preventing the recurrence of an ectopic pregnancy is understanding the risk factors involved. Women who had an ectopic pregnancy in the past are more prone to having an ectopic pregnancy in the future. Also, women who have structural abnormalities in their fallopian tubes can also have an ectopic pregnancy. In addition to these risk factors, women who had fertility problems and were treated by assisted reproduction technologies like IVF or ART are more vulnerable to having an ectopic pregnancy in the future. The onus here lies in identifying with these risk factors and making the right decisions before one has to go through the heart-wrenching situation again.

Seek treatment right away
Ectopic pregnancy progresses when one tends to ignore the glaring symptoms like cramping, abnormal vaginal bleeding, missed periods, and then, it turns into a full-blown disaster. Women need to acquaint themselves with the various symptoms of ectopic pregnancy that include shoulder pain, severe abdominal pain, low blood pressure, fatigue, and pressure in the rectum. If women have even the slightest doubts that they are pregnant and these symptoms start surfacing, it is imperative to seek doctor’s help right away.

Pay attention to the choice of birth control
Studies have revealed that women who use an intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS) for contraception purposes are more susceptible to having an ectopic pregnancy in case they ever get pregnant while using these contraception devices. So, it is essential that women choose proper birth control devices that do not put them in harm’s way.

There are several factors that increase a woman’s risk of developing an ectopic pregnancy, and undertaking precautionary measures at the right time might help you steer clear off the disaster. However, it is imperative to understand that though one can take steps to prevent ectopic pregnancy, there are no foolproof methods to prevent it completely.

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