Yes! Pregnancy outside the uterus does exist, but it is a completely unviable pregnancy for both the mother and the baby. This type of pregnancy brings several problems for the mother and, if not addressed in time, it may harm the chances of future pregnancies. However, to understand all the problems and risks of a pregnancy occurring outside the uterus, it’s important to clarify the normal process of a healthy pregnancy.
It all starts in the ovaries. The follicle grows and, once mature, ruptures. This mature egg, ready to be fertilized, is picked up by the fallopian tube where it remains for about 24 hours waiting for a sperm to arrive1. If a woman has intercourse during this period, a sperm can fertilize the egg, and if fertilization occurs, a new life begins with the fusion of the nuclei of the gametes (egg and sperm). After fertilization, the zygote is slowly guided through the tube into the uterus, where it will lodge in the endometrium to grow healthily. However, pregnancy outside the uterus develops during this stage!
The vast majority of pregnancies outside the uterus are ectopic pregnancies2, meaning they occur in the fallopian tube. Instead of the baby traveling through the tube to the uterus, it ends up implanting right there, which is not where it should. This problem happens because some women have a blockage in the tube, whether it’s an obstruction, a collection of fluid, or a mass. This blockage might have a tiny opening allowing the sperm to pass through but not the baby. Or, by chance, even if there’s no obstruction, the baby may spontaneously implant in the wrong place. That’s when we have a problem…
Pregnancy outside the uterus causes a lot of pain for the woman. If it occurs in the tubes, she will start to feel increasingly severe cramps. This is one of the strong signs that something is wrong. So, at the slightest sign of severe pain, it is best to see a doctor to investigate. If there’s no gestational sac or sign of pregnancy in the uterus, the doctor will monitor the pregnancy to check for the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy.
In cases of pregnancies that develop outside the uterus, the pregnancy must be interrupted. The tube does not have enough elasticity to carry the pregnancy to term. It will inevitably rupture before 3 months of pregnancy, and this “rupture” brings many dangers for the mother. The best course of action in these cases is to remove the baby from the tube, interrupting the pregnancy. If needed, the doctor may also remove the affected tube. This all depends on how far along the pregnancy is. That’s why, to preserve an intact tube, it is necessary to detect pregnancy outside the uterus as soon as possible.
Is It Possible for a Pregnancy Outside the Uterus to Go to Term?
Sometimes the body surprises us! There are extremely rare cases of pregnancy outside the uterus that got to a point where the baby could be born3. Such is the case of Emília. She was literally conceived outside the uterus. However, not in the tubes, but in the abdominal cavity, between the intestine and the liver. Emília’s mother, Alya, felt very severe pains, like stabbing sensations in her abdomen. Because of this, doctors began to investigate further and found that Emília was being conceived outside the uterus!
This happened because, unlike what usually occurs, the embryo was expelled from the uterus and ended up lodging outside the organ. Fortunately, it was in an area where the placenta was able to develop normally. The gestational sac developed normally, as did the amniotic sac. These cases are extremely rare; only 1 in a million babies may be born this way. Worldwide, only 3 cases have been definitively confirmed.
Surviving among the intestinal loops is truly a miracle — it is not easy to be squeezed and twisted between so many digestive tubes. Due to this tight space, the baby may develop minor deformities, as in Emília’s case, who was born with deformities in her feet and back, but nothing that a few surgeries could not fix.
Also see: Ectopic Pregnancy – How It Happens and the Signs
Photo: Ed Uthman
