When pregnancy turns deadly: Understanding ectopic pregnancy and its risks

Ectopic pregnancies are he leading cause of maternal deaths in first trimester. [File, Courtesy]

"I thought it was just a bad period," recalls 28-year-old Mercy (not her real name).

"The cramps were unbearable, and I was bleeding, but I brushed it off, thinking it would pass. Then one morning, a sharp wave of pain hit me out of nowhere. I couldn’t stand—my entire abdomen was in agony. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital, with my partner telling me I had collapsed on the floor, unable to move."