Blood test to spot ectopic pregnancy: Breakthrough could save fertility of thousands

[Guest guest]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1324729/Blood-test-spot-ectopic-pregnancy-Breakthrough-save-fertility-thousands.htmlBy SOPHIE BORLANDLast updated at 8:18 AM on 29th October 2010blood test for ectopic pregnancies which could help save the fertility of thousands of women is being developed by scientists.It would enable the life-threatening condition to be diagnosed within a day, instead of the

several weeks it takes for tests to come back now.This would allow doctors to intervene earlier to save reproductive organs which are often severely damaged by the condition. Early intervention: Currently women have to undergo an ultrasound and have their blood monitored for days or even weeks but the new text could diagnose the condition within a dayEctopic pregnancies occur when the foetus implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. The baby can never be saved, but

if the condition is not diagnosed in time it can also be fatal for the mother – there are about five such deaths in Britain every year.About one in 80 pregnancies is ectopic, rising to one in 60 in women over the age of 30, but the number of cases has trebled in the last 20 years. Experts believe this is due to the trend of delaying motherhood. More...Women in their 20s 'should freeze their ovaries': Provocative call from leading IVF expertHealth bosses refuse to pay pregnancy benefit for woman whose premature baby was 'born too early'If the foetus is left untreated in a fallopian tube it can cause it to rupture, halving a woman’s chances of conceiving. Doctors currently use blood screening and ultrasound to detect abnormalities, but these methods are not accurate in the early stages following conception.However, the blood test could be accurate just three weeks into pregnancy. It would enable women to have immediate surgery to remove the foetus, reducing the chances of the fallopian tube being damaged.The test, which has been developed by doctors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the U.S., checks for four characteristics or ‘markers’ in the blood which are symptomatic of an ectopic pregnancy.Life-threatening condition: Sophie, Countess of Wessex suffered an ectopic pregnancy in 2001 but has since given birth to a son

and daughterDr Rausch, who is helping to develop it, said thousands of women could benefit and lives could be saved.Addressing the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Denver, Colorado, she said: ‘Potentially this could be a test that somebody in early pregnancy could use to diagnose ectopic pregnancy.‘If they are definitely diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy, then they could be immediately treated. ‘Most of the time these days people get to hospital pretty quickly and have emergency surgery, but it is a threat.’ The researchers took blood samples from 100 women who had already had an ectopic pregnancy and compared them with samples from 100 healthy women.They found they were correctly able to diagnose 42 per cent of ectopic pregnancies.Currently women have to undergo an ultrasound and have their blood monitored for days or even weeks to determine whether they have the condition.The whole fallopian tube has to be removed if it has been split. This halves a woman’s chance of conceiving as only the eggs from her one remaining ovary can reach the womb.As many as 40 per cent of women who

have an ectopic pregnancy are unable to have children naturally afterwards.In 2001 Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, underwent emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. With the help of IVF she has since given birth to a daughter and a son. O’Brien, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: ‘This test is potentially useful for making an earlier diagnosis. It will be interesting to see if these promising results are borne out in a

larger study.’The test should be available within the next two to five years.