Ectopic pregnancy : cause of many maternal deaths

Ectopic pregnancy : cause of many maternal deaths
Extract from the article: During a woman's pregnancy, the uterus is generally the organ that will house the foetus, which will be expelled from the uterine cavity on delivery. However, there are cases where the foetus is placed outside the uterine cavity. According to Dr Dédé

During a woman's pregnancy, the uterus is generally the organ that will house the foetus, which will be expelled from the uterine cavity on delivery. However, there are cases where the foetus is placed outside the uterine cavity. According to Dr Dédé Bénédicta Améwoui, an obstetrician-gynaecologist and head of the Group Medical clinic in Lome, this is known as an extra-uterine pregnancy (EUP). This is a very dangerous phenomenon for the mother, and is one of the causes of maternal mortality in Togo if it is not treated early. A number of factors contribute to the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy.

Extra uterine pregnancy (EUP) is one of the rare but most dangerous conditions encountered by women during pregnancy. « An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the pregnancy develops outside the uterine cavity. In an extra-uterine pregnancy, the pregnancy occurs outside the uterine cavity, particularly in the fallopian tube », explains obstetric gynaecologist Dr Dédé Améwoui.

Causes

According to gynaecologist Dr Dédé Améwoui, the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy include all conditions and histories that impair the quality of the fallopian tubes, or anything that can slow the development of the egg in the uterine cavity. Other causes of EP include « genital infections, in vitro fertilisation, a pelvic history of sexually transmitted diseases, and a history of surgery on the fallopian tube. Smoking is also a major risk factor, with a dose-response relationship », said Dr Benedicta Améwoui. The chances of detecting an extra-uterine pregnancy are often very low. According to the gynaecologist, EPs need to be diagnosed very early on. « It's a three-pronged diagnosis: clinical, biological and ultrasound. As far as the clinic is concerned, we very often see women with a delay of 2 to 3 days in their periods. Others, on the other hand, have signs such as bleeding or pelvic pain. If menstruation is delayed, a pregnancy test is ordered, but the most important thing is the kinetics of plasma beta Hcg levels », informs Dr Améwoui.

It is important to note that in the case of an extra-uterine pregnancy, the pregnancy begins outside the uterus. Apart from the fallopian tubes, an EP can develop on an ovary, in the cervix, in the uterine horn or in the abdominal cavity.This is what Sandrine, a 36-year-old housewife and cashier at a microfinance centre in Lomé, has to say about her son's pregnancy. « It's really lucky for me, because the doctors were able to detect the EP early on.In the 2nd month of my pregnancy, I felt terrible pains in my lower abdomen.So I went for an ultrasound scan, as I do for all my pregnancies, and that's when my gynaecologist told me that I had an extra-uterine pregnancy, as my pregnancy was progressing outside the uterus.I'd never heard of it before and it was only with the help of my gynaecologist that I was able to be treated very early on ». Like Sandrine, there are many women who know nothing about EPs and yet suffer from them every day.Ectopic pregnancy is an emergency with many negative repercussions on a woman's health.

Consequences

The obstetric gynaecologist explains that in the case of EP, the tube becomes elastic, with the possibility of rupture. « This leads to internal haemorrhage in the mother's body ». The mother's chances of survival are therefore very low if the EP is not discovered early.Mortality is therefore the immediate consequence of the anaemia caused by the internal haemorrhage.

Prevent ectopic pregnancy

However, there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent ectopic pregnancy.For gynaecologist Dédé Améwoui, an extra-uterine pregnancy can occur repeatedly if the genital infection has not been properly treated in the patient. « It is therefore important to avoid genital infections and pelvic inflammatory disease, above all by practising good sexual behaviour and avoiding smoking.A woman who has had an Extra Uterine Pregnancy should go for a check-up one and a half months after treatment, to avoid the possibility of another EP », advised the specialist.

Abel OZIH

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santé éducation
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Abel OZIH

During a woman's pregnancy, the uterus is generally the organ that will house the foetus, which will be expelled from the uterine cavity on delivery. However, there are cases where the foetus is placed outside the uterine cavity. According to Dr Dédé

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