A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Abosede Lewu, says that an early ultrasound scan for every pregnant woman can help detect ectopic pregnancy which is a life-threatening condition that requires emergency care.
Lewu, Convener, Keep All Mothers Alive Project, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday, described ectopic pregnancy as any pregnancy outside the womb.
According to her, ectopic pregnancy can stay in a woman’s fallopian tube, ovaries, the lining of or within any part of the woman’s tummy.
She said that the baby’s development outside the womb would be difficult as it would not get the necessary environment that could expand or stretch the way the womb does.
“Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening emergency. The expected home of a fertilized egg that becomes a baby is the womb.
“For different reasons, some of these fertilised eggs (babies) never make it to the womb for implantation. They grow outside the womb.
“As the pregnancy grows, it becomes bigger than the space it is occupying outside the womb and can rupture or burst, leading to severe blood loss or death of the woman.
“This is why an early ultrasound scan is a must for every pregnant woman so that the location of the pregnancy can be confirmed. If picked early, life-saving management can start, ” she said.
Lewu said that ectopic pregnancy was one of the causes of maternal mortality in the first trimester and delayed ultrasound scans make such pregnancy life-threatening.
(NAN)
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