Postcoital haemoperitoneum: a cause for shock

Anu Goswami1, Subrahmanian S Raghavan, Lekharaj H Ghotekar

  • 1BP Koirala Institute of health Sciences, Nepal, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India. anugo111@rediffmail.com

Postcoital haemoperitoneum rarely occurs without evident vaginal injury. A 21-year-old second gravida woman presented to the ED in shock with a history of 8 weeks amenorrhoea and abdominal pain of 20 h duration. The ultrasound examination revealed a live intrauterine pregnancy and fluid in peritoneal cavity. There was a history of coitus 2 hours prior to the onset of pain. At laparotomy, more than 2 L of free blood was found in the peritoneal cavity. A small bleeding peritoneal vessel in pouch of Douglas was identified and ligated.

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