Ectopic means "out of place." In an ectopic pregnancy, a fertilized egg has implanted outside the uterus. The egg settles in the fallopian tubes more than 95% of the time. This is why ectopic pregnancies are commonly called "tubal pregnancies." The egg can also implant in the ovary, abdomen, or the cervix, so you may see these referred to as cervical or abdominal pregnancies.
None of these areas has as much space or nurturing tissue as a uterus for a pregnancy to develop. As the fetus grows, it will eventually burst the organ that contains it. This can cause severe bleeding and endanger the mother's life. A classical ectopic pregnancy never develops into a live birth.
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A miscarriage is the spontaneous abortion of an embryo or fetus before it's developed enough to survive. This can happen even before a woman is aware that she is pregnant.
A miscarriage usually occurs in the first 3 months of pregnancy, before 20 weeks' gestation. A small fraction of miscarriages - less than 1% of them - are called stillbirths, as they occur after 20 weeks of gestation.
2007-07-10 11:23:43
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answer #1
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answered by MissKittyInTheCity 6
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an ectopic pregnancy is one in which the embryo doesn't implant normally to the uterine wall; instead it can implant in the fallopian tubes, on the ligaments outside the uterus, almost anywhere in the abdomen. also called an extrauterine pregnancy, if these pregnancies aren't diagnosed and removed quickly, they can and many times DO outgrow where they are located, and rupture their host structure, causing death to both themselves and the mother. as a rule, ectopic pregnancies aren't salvageable, so, this isn't even remotely similar to an abortion.
a miscarriage (or spontaneous abortion) is a pregnancy in which the embryo or fetus dies prior to viability. these are uterine pregnancies.
2007-07-10 18:24:45
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answer #2
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answered by tuxey 4
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What the ladies above say is all true. The only thing I will add is that unfortunately, my wife has had both, so it's more 'real' to me -- what those 2 things are and their differences.
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2007-07-10 18:48:45
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answer #3
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answered by tlbs101 7
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