A Medical And Moral Look At Ectopic Pregnancy

The complexity of the human reproductive system is unbelievable baffling. The fact that the egg even leaves the protection of the ovary and starts its journey down the fallopian tube is remarkable. The process by which the sperm manage to scurry their way to meet the egg through the hostile environment of a woman’s body isanother great accomplishment of the human body. The fact that, in the majority of cases, the egg and sperm meet, join, and find their way into the uterus and set up the beginning of a new little life is one of the most perplexing “facts” of medical science. The treacherous path is sometimes uncompleted, however. When this is the case the parents are face with one of the more serious, and potentially deadly conditions known to medicine: the ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies are the number one cause of death of women in the first trimester of pregnancy. There are many aspects that have to taken care of when an ectopic pregnancy is identified. Not only are there the symptoms, the diagnosis, the treatments, and the results to deal with, but also moral ethics come into play.
The term “ectopic” literally means “out of place”. Other things in the human body can also be considered ectopic if it sits in an abnormal position in the body. A heart beat that originates from and unusual part of the heart is an “ectopic” heart beat, and a baby that is not properly nestled in the uterine cavity is an “ectopic” pregnancy.
In an ectopic pregnancy the baby can be found in various different locations. The most common is in the end of the fallopian tube. It can also settle and embed itself onto the ovary, inside the cervix, or, rarely, in the abdominal cavity.
The symptoms are present in the first stages of pregnancy. Missed menstruation is the first sign of the pregnancy as per usual. This is followed by nausea, breast tenderness, vomiting, fatigue, and eventually a lot of pain. The pain can be a dull ache which progresses into a sharp spasmodic pain, usually confined to either the left or the right lower quadrant in the pelvic area or generalized to the abdomen. A pregnancy test may or may not be positive depending upon how advanced the pregnancy is. Uterine bleeding is sometimes associated with an ectopic in addition to the pelvic or abdominal pain. If the preg...

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...n tube. The surgery will, however, save the mother’s life.
If medical technology were advanced enough to allow for the transplanting of the baby from its pathological location, and the placing it in the uterus of the mother, then this would be the most ethical way to handle the unfortunate situation. This procedure would save the life of both mother and child. But sadly since this is not possible with the present technology we have, the tiny innocent baby’s life is lost.
Dealing with an ectopic pregnancy is a difficult and painful experience to say the least. Knowing that one is handling it in a moral and just manner can sometimes help to lift the burden and feeling of guilt that can be associated with losing a baby. Hopefully as our technology progresses we will have the ability to diagnose ectopics faster and treat them better. Maybe we may even be able to save the life of the child in years to come. For now a Catholic really has only one choice of treatment if they want to make the most moral decision. We must trust that God will take care of the innocent baby that is lost and carry him/her home into his caring arms.