How to distinguish ectopic pregnancy from spontaneous abortion

Ectopic pregnancy and spontaneous abortion are two completely different concepts and must be carefully distinguished during clinical diagnosis.

1. Conceptual distinction

Ectopic pregnancy refers to the phenomenon that the fertilized egg is affected by certain factors and implants and develops in places outside the uterine cavity, such as the fallopian tube, uterine horn, abdominal cavity, ovary, etc. Because the implantation site is narrow and thin-walled, it cannot expand fully and cannot accommodate the growth and development of the fertilized egg, making it easy for the embryo to pass through the wall tube, destroying the blood vessels and causing heavy bleeding. Spontaneous abortion is an intrauterine pregnancy, which is a phenomenon in which the embryo or fetus automatically leaves the mother's body and is expelled before 20 weeks of pregnancy for some reason.

2. Differentiate based on symptoms

Patients with ectopic pregnancy have the following two symptoms that can be distinguished from spontaneous abortion, namely abdominal pain, which is often sudden tearing or paroxysmal pain on one side of the lower abdomen, and is mostly accompanied by nausea and vomiting. If the diaphragm is stimulated, it will also cause radiating pain in the scapula. If fluid accumulation in the pelvic cavity occurs, the patient may even have a feeling of heaviness and defecation in the anus, which is a major basis for diagnosing ectopic pregnancy; irregular vaginal bleeding, mostly in the form of drops of dark brown blood, generally not exceeding the menstrual volume. If the patient's vaginal bleeding symptoms and abdominal pain occur at the same time, it means that the embryo has been damaged. If there is only abdominal pain but no vaginal bleeding, it is mostly that the embryo is still alive or an abdominal pregnancy has occurred. It is an important reference standard for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy and also provides a strong basis for subsequent treatment.