An ectopic pregnancy is a serious medical emergency that can be life-threatening.

In about one in 200 pregnancies, the fertilised egg implants outside the womb and starts to grow.

Instead of travelling along one of the two fallopian tubes into the womb, the egg lodges within it or, more rarely, within the abdominal cavity.

As the egg grows, it causes lower abdominal pain and bleeding. These symptoms usually occur within the first two months of pregnancy.

The condition is very serious because the tube may burst, causing massive internal bleeding which can make the woman go into shock and collapse.

The pregnancy has to be removed and new techniques can sometimes save the tube, depending on the damage.

But if the ectopic has already burst through the wall of the tube and there has been considerable bleeding, the tube will need to be removed under a general anaesthetic via an incision about two inches across the lower abdomen.

Many patients feel well enough to get out of bed next day and leave hospital within a couple of days, returning to have stitches or clips removed.

The psychological anguish takes much longer to heal, particularly if it was a much-wanted first baby. The biggest fear for women is that suffering an ectopic pregnancy will end her chances of ever having a child.

However, if the other tube is normal, the chances should still be good - although conception may take longer because only eggs from the ovary next to the remaining tube are likely to be fertilised.

Any woman who has had an ectopic will be carefully monitored during the next pregnancy. But an ultrasound scan taken at the fifth of sixth week should show it safely in the womb and the odds are over-whelmingly in favour of this being the case.

If the other tube is damaged, then the woman would not be able to conceive normally, but fertility treatment could help.

The most common reason for an ectopic pregnancy is because the fallopian tubes have been damaged, possibly by an infection such as pelvic inflammatory disease. This can be triggered by sexually-transmitted bacteria such as chlamydia.

Ectopic pregnancies afflict thousands of women every year. Other well-known victims include actress Nicole Kidman and Paul McCartney's fiancee Heather Mills.

-Daily Mail