Hawa is a 26-year-old female patient with a history of infertility. She and her partner have been trying to conceive naturally for 2 years. Hawa started taking fertility medication 6 months ago to...

Hawa is a 26-year-old female patient with a history of infertility. She and her partner have been trying to conceive naturally for 2 years. Hawa started taking fertility medication 6 months ago to stimulate follicle development. At 21 years of age, she was diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease, which was treated with antibiotics. Her menstrual cycle has been unpredictable over the last 3 months, with sporadic light bleeding. During the last month, she has felt nauseous and experienced diarrhea. Yesterday, she had a sudden onset of abdominal and pelvic pain and heavy vaginal bleeding. She is concerned about the sudden change and sees her gynecologist the following day.

Hawa’s gynecologist is concerned she may be experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. Briefly describe what this means, in your own words.