An ectopic pregnancy happens outside of the womb. It cannot survive. Most happen within a fallopian tube. It can also happen in the cervix, an ovary, or the belly.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Causes

A problem with the fallopian tubes causes this to happen.

Risk Factors

This problem is more common in women who are 40 years of age or older.

Other things that may raise the risk are:

Prior tubal surgery, such as tubal ligation
Prior ectopic pregnancy
History of infertility
Prior genital infection, such as chlamydia
Smoking

Symptoms

A missed period is the first sign.

A woman may also have belly pain and spotty bleeding.

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A pelvic exam will be done.

Blood tests and urine tests will be done to look for signs of pregnancy.

Pictures may be taken. This can be done with an ultrasound.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to remove the ectopic pregnancy. Choices are:

Medicine to stop an early, unruptured pregnancy from progressing
Surgery to remove a ruptured pregnancy or one that is not in the fallopian tube
Surgery to remove a pregnancy from a fallopian tube and repair or remove the tube

Prevention

There are no known guidelines to prevent an ectopic pregnancy.

RESOURCES:

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
http://www.acog.org

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
http://www.sogc.org

Women's Health Matters
http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca

References:

Ectopic pregnancy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/ectopic-pregnancy. Accessed October 15, 2020.

Ectopic pregnancy. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed October 15, 2020.

Ectopic pregnancy. Planned Parenthood website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed October 15, 2020.

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Diagnosis and Management of Ectopic Pregnancy: Green-top Guideline No. 21. BJOG. 2016 Dec;123(13):e15-e55.

Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Elliot M. Levine, MD, FACOG
Last Updated: 4/27/2021

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