Scientific breakthrough could help thousands

Every year one in 100 women will experience an ectopic pregnancy. But a new test has been developed which can detect an ectopic pregnancy just weeks after a woman takes her first positive pregnancy test.

The new test developed by GPs in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust, looks for eight markers in the blood, which show up at between four and six weeks into a pregnancy. The new test could diagnose an ectopic pregnancy much earlier than is currently possible – which could help save lives as well as ensure that women go on to have successful pregnancies in the future.

David Chilvers Chief executive of NHS Innovations which is behind the test development said: 'If you don't catch an ectopic pregnancy early, the woman would have to go through a medical procedure which could cause problems in having future children. This is also costly from an NHS point of view. But if you catch this early, then you can use just a drug to induce the pregnancy and protect the patient from complications.'

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