Introduction
Ectopic pregnancy is a very often potentially life-threatening syndrome wherein an already fertilized egg starts implanting outside the uterus, normally in the fallopian tube. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for EP is highly recommended because of a high risk for maternal morbidity and mortality, especially during the first trimester. Proper care and prompt diagnosis of EP are of great importance.
Blood markers are one of the most valuable tools for the diagnosis and prognosis of ectopic pregnancies. Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), complete blood count (CBC) values, and other serum markers play an important role in the diagnosis of EP, evaluating the severity of the disease, and predicting the outcome of drug treatments or the need for surgery. For instance, levels of β-hCG and other such markers as NLR or neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and PDW or platelet distribution width can predict the response of medical intervention in a patient with an ectopic pregnancy, even to methotrexate therapy.
The Importance of Early Diagnosis and Blood Markers
There is a great deal of need for early detection of an ectopic pregnancy to avoid some problems like rupture of the tube, internal bleeding, and even death in extreme cases. Blood indicators help assess the effectiveness of meds like methotrexate, which are commonly prescribed for patients medically stable, and to predict the existence of an ectopic pregnancy.β-hCG is among the main indicators used for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. The pace of increasing or decreasing levels of β-hCG can be very informative about the viability of pregnancy. In early gestation, levels of β-hCG in normal intrauterine pregnancies rise very rapidly within 48 to 72 hours; whereas in ectopic pregnancies, levels often rise more slowly or even fall.
There are many literatures that explain how β-hCG levels can usefully direct treatment decisions, as in selection of methotrexate for treatment.β-hCG levels have been shown to be indicative of treatment success. Usually, the decrease in the β-hCG values post-methotrexate treatment often informs whether treatment has been successful or not and necessitates surgery. It is for this reason that β-hCG is an important marker that provides significant documentation both regarding the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy and during assessment of success of methotrexate and other conservative treatments.