Like, how do the sperm and egg get outside the womb?? And how do they then like, still work to make a baby? Can ectopic pregnancies ever survive? I’m assuming that, if they can, they’d have to be birthed via c-section, right?
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I think a brief rundown of the female reproductive system is helpful here. [Take a look at this diagram](https://images.everydayhealth.com/images/sexual-health/female-reproductive-system-722×406.jpg?w=1110) and you can see all the major parts. The uterus, or what you call the “womb,” is organ that’s meant to hold the fetus. The fertilized egg implants into the side of the uterus and then grows into a blastocyst and later a fetus. On each side of the uterus is an ovary. The overies are where the eggs come from. The ovaries are connected to the uterus via the Fallopian tubes. The eggs are released from the ovary and travel through the Fallopian tubes to the uterus. Finally, at the bottom of the uterus is the cervix, which is the canal that connects the cervix to the vagina and ultimately, the outside.
Now normally what’s supposed to happen is that the fertilized egg implants into the wall of the uterus. Sometimes though, the egg can implant into wrong place, such as inside the Fallopian tube, the ovary itself, or the cervix. That’s what an ectopic pregnancy is. These places are not meant to be where the fetus grows and develops. Ectopic pregnancies are never viable. It will always lead to the death of the fetus and in some cases, the death of the mother as well, because the fetus can grow too large and rupture the organs and cause severe internal bleeding.
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