Why an Ectopic Pregnancy Cannot Be Re-Implanted
Over the past few years, states have considered or even passed bills to ban abortion. A recent procedure in Ohio includes a provision that appears to require doctors to “re-implant” an ectopic pregnancy – a procedure that does not exist in medicine. So what is an ectopic pregnancy and why is “reimplantation” impossible? Let’s take a look.
What is an ectopic pregnancy?
Usually, after fertilization, the egg begins to develop and within a few days is implanted into the wall of the uterus. (This is how he gets the blood supply to keep growing.)
The embryo grows as it develops, and the uterus expands with it. But sometimes pregnancy can implant in the fallopian tube, which is not an organ that can expand as the embryo grows. (Ectopic pregnancies can occur elsewhere , but the fallopian tube is the most common.) If the embryo remains there, the fallopian tube can rupture, causing life-threatening internal bleeding. Because the fallopian tube is about the size of a bundle of spaghetti, rupture can occur quite early in pregnancy. You may not even know you are pregnant.
Ectopic pregnancy is a dangerous and often fatal condition if left untreated, and tubal rupture is a medical emergency.
How is ectopic pregnancy usually treated?
If the fallopian tube ruptures, emergency surgery is needed to stop the bleeding and save a person’s life. If this has not happened yet, but you and your doctors have determined that you have an ectopic pregnancy, it must be removed.
Medications are often used first, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This drug is usually methotrexate , which stops cell division. (For this reason, it is also sometimes called cancer chemotherapy.) If all goes well, the embryo stops dividing and is absorbed by the body.
If a medication doesn’t work or can’t be used (methotrexate has many side effects and isn’t safe for people with certain medical conditions), surgery is the next option. The surgeon can either try to remove the embryo from the fallopian tube or remove the fallopian tube completely.
What happens to the embryo?
Sorry, but I have bad news. This is the end of pregnancy.
It is impossible to leave the embryo in the fallopian tube and allow it to develop normally; the tube simply does not hold up. (There are several reports of pregnancies that have been implanted in the abdominal cavity and have continued to develop, but these are rare medical miracles.)
Therefore, as soon as the doctor finds out that you have an ectopic pregnancy, it must be removed. And once it’s removed, there is nowhere to put it. There is simply no procedure for “reimplanting” an ectopic pregnancy into the uterus, as doctors must patiently explain to reporters after the Ohio bill was passed. It just doesn’t exist. As soon as the embryo is removed, that’s it, the pregnancy is over.
This means that a person who has been diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy is in the same position as a person who has had a miscarriage . It’s terrible if you want a pregnancy. And it is cruel for anti-abortion activists to present an imaginary medical procedure as a false hope.