Australian researchers investigate ectopic pregnancy

The world's first fallopian tube bio- bank has gathered enough resources to start research into ectopic pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancies occur when a foetus develops outside a woman's uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday.

The joint project between two hospitals in Sydney, Australia has seen fifty-six patients donate to the bio bank - essentially a 'store of tissue' - located at the University of New South Wales ( UNSW).

Tissue is collected from the patient with their consent if they undergo surgery for ectopic pregnancy, which is then prepared for RNA, DNA and other analysis.

UNSW researchers are now using the tissue to investigate why ectopic pregnancies occur and why some women's bodies are unable to accept embryos implanted through IVF.

One in 80 pregnancies in Australia are ectopic pregnancies, killing two to three women per year.

The head of reproductive medicine at the Royal Hospital for Women and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UNSW, Professor Bill Ledger, said the research could also be used to understand cancer.

"It's an interesting model because what happens in early pregnancy is the placenta is invading into the wall of the mum's womb," Ledger said.

"In the case of [an] ectopic [pregnancy], it's invading into the wall of the tube so you've got tissue invasion which is what cancer does." Endi