Located in Front Royal, Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency is an accredited program geared toward rural practice. The Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency includes a thorough grounding in obstetrical practice for the family physician. Ectopic pregnancy is the most common cause of death in a pregnant patient’s first trimester and affects nearly 2 percent of pregnancies. It develops when a fertilized egg attaches outside the uterus, typically in the fallopian tube. When this happens, the zygote cannot grow, and the mother’s life may be in danger. A patient with this condition often presents with abdominal pain and has missed periods. To determine whether an ectopic pregnancy is the cause, the physician performs a pregnancy test. If the result is positive, the doctor can perform a transvaginal ultrasound, which images the reproductive tract and can determine whether the pregnancy is healthy. If the pregnancy is ectopic, the ultrasound is less likely to prove ectopic pregnancy conclusively and more likely to reveal an undefined mass. Analysis of the patient’s beta hCG hormone levels can usually determine whether this mass is indicative of an ectopic pregnancy, as these hormones tend to rise significantly when a person is gestating.
0 Comments
|
AuthorOverseen by Dr. Frank Dennehy, Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency Program offers opportunities for students who are interested in family medicine. Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|