What causes ectopic pregnancies?
In: Biology
the uterus (womb) is the female reproductive organ and is found in the lower abdomen (belly). it has a fallopian tube on either side which lead to the ovaries (which produce egg cells) – however, the ovaries aren’t actually connected to the fallopian tubes. instead, they’re connected to the womb and the fallopian tubes massage an egg out of the ovary using finger-like structures.
in typical pregnancies, the egg is released into the fallopian tube, where fertilisation takes place. the fertilised egg then continues moving down the fallopian tube and implants in the endomedtrium (lining of the womb). wherever it implants is where the placenta and umbillical cord will develop, and it’s where the embryo will stay for the entirety of the pregnancy.
however, sometimes the fertilised egg implants in the fallopian tube, or outside of the uterus entirely (due to the ovaries and fallopian tubes not actually being connected to one another), somewhere else in the abdomen. these pregnancies are life-threatening to the mother, as these areas aren’t designed to stretch and grow with the baby like the inside of the uterus is, as well as not being designed to sustain a placenta, and not being designed to cope with the bleeding if the placenta becomes disconnected.
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