Ectopic Pregnancies

By: The Editors

Miscarriages occur for a variety of reasons. They are almost never the mother's fault. Sometimes, understanding the cause of a miscarriage can help parents as they grieve.

Recently, Jenna Bush Hager revealed that she had an ectopic pregnancy, an issue that occurs in only 1%-2% of pregnancies. Hager discussed the joy of getting pregnant and the pain of the miscarriage:

"I was so excited ... I got to the doctor's office and she said, 'Yeah, you're pregnant, but we can't find the baby,''" Jenna said during a conversation with Meredith Vieira about their respective journeys to parenthood. "And I had no idea what an ectopic pregnancy was. The baby was in my fallopian tube."

"My husband was out of town. My sister was in Africa. So I went into emergency surgery and I had my fallopian tube removed," she added, calling the experience "isolating."

​Rheana Murray, a lifestyle reporter at TODAY and NBC News, has written an excellent article that explores what an ectopic pregnancy is, what the symptoms are, and how it might be treated.

As we learn more, we become better advocates and sources of encouragement. Even if you have never experienced an ectopic pregnancy, understanding it might help you support others who have or will.