Chapter 78: Management of Ectopic Pregnancies

Key Findings

• Over 95 percent of ectopic pregnancies are in the fallopian tube. The chapter lists tubal sterilization, intrauterine devices and in vitro fertilization (IVF) among factors that raise the risk.
• In a small charting comparison of 19 normal fertility controls and 5 ectopic pregnancies, mucus cycle scores were significantly lower in the ectopic group (p=.0053).
• Spontaneous resolution may occur in up to one-third of ectopic pregnancies. The chapter says programs that diagnose late miss the resolving cases, so the share looks lower there.
• The chapter ties linear salpingostomy to persistent or chronic ectopic tissue in 5 to 20 percent of cases.
• The chapter states that future pregnancy rates are equivalent across linear salpingostomy, methotrexate and salpingectomy, while repeat and chronic ectopic rates are quite high with salpingostomy.