When Marie came into the Emergency Department at Valley West Community Hospital complaining of sudden onset of abdominal and pelvic pain, she had no idea what it might be. Her diagnosis was quickly discovered by ultrasound—an ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy develops outside the uterus. The most common site for an ectopic pregnancy is the fallopian tube, one of the tubes connecting the ovaries to the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy occurs in one percent of pregnancies.

Marie’s OB/Gyn, Dr. Ann West, was called immediately to decide the course of action for this potentially dangerous situation. Dr. West arrived at the Emergency Department and the OR team was assembled.

Dr. West explained to Marie that an ectopic pregnancy is one of the few gynecological problems that can be life threatening. If the fallopian tube ruptures and blows out a blood vessel, the woman can bleed to death, so it’s important to get to the OR as quickly as possible to prevent more blood loss.

Although Marie lost a significant amount of blood before she reached the hospital, and she did lose one fallopian tube, the quick actions of both the Emergency Department and OR teams literally saved her life. Marie should be able to have more children in the future.

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