Can ectopic pregnancy be found on a transvaginal ultrasound?

Question

Hello doctor,

Can an ectopic pregnancy be detected on a transvaginal or simple abdominal ultrasound, if I am in two to three weeks of pregnancy? What are the chances that an ectopic pregnancy miscarries spontaneously? In case of rupture to the fallopian tube in the ectopic pregnancy, does the pregnancy ends on its own? Or does it keep growing? I read that in an ectopic pregnancy HCG levels grow at a lower rate than they would in case of normal pregnancy. I got a positive HCG urine test a full week after my missed period. Is it possible that the pregnancy is ectopic? (I kept testing on the day of the missed period and two days later but it came up negative). What are the chances of the success of Methotrexate injection in ending an ectopic pregnancy?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Transvaginal ultrasound can detect ectopic as early as two weeks, much before TAS (transabdominal sonography). Ectopic pregnancy always terminates as miscarriage, but inside the abdomen with profuse bleeding intraabdominally that can be life threatening. Pregnancy ends on its own in case of ruptured ectopic along with it, it can end life too. HCG levels are low in ectopic, but they are enough to turn a urinary pregnancy test positive. In fact UPT (urine pregnancy test) cannot decide if pregnancy is ectopic or intrauterine. Methotrexate can manage an ectopic pregnancy, but chance are that it can also deplete ovarian follicle reserve which may lead to infertility.