Pregnancy Loss Causes and Risk Factors Ectopic Pregnancy Statistics By Krissi Danielsson Krissi Danielsson, MD is a doctor of family medicine and an advocate for those who have experienced miscarriage. Learn about our editorial process Krissi Danielsson Reviewed by Reviewed by Rachel Gurevich, RN on June 03, 2019 facebook twitter linkedin Rachel Gurevich, RN, is a registered nurse, fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Learn about our Review Board Rachel Gurevich, RN Updated on February 02, 2020 Print OJO Images/OJO Images/Getty Images Table of Contents View All What is An Ectopic Pregnancy? How Common How Dangerous Treatment Understanding the Statistics What Happens Next Time? Ectopic Pregnancy Statistics If you've heard about ectopic pregnancies, you're probably wondering about the statistics. How common are tubal pregnancies? What are the risk factors? What are your chances of having an ectopic pregnancy? What is An Ectopic Pregnancy? Ectopic pregnancies are pregnancies that implant outside of the uterus. They're often called tubal pregnancies because they almost always occur in the fallopian tubes. In rare cases, they may also implant in the abdomen. Studies show that between 6 to 16% of pregnant women who go to an emergency department in the first trimester for bleeding, pain or both have an ectopic pregnancy. How Common Are Ectopic Pregnancies? According to the March of Dimes, about 1 in every 50 pregnancies in the U.S. is an ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy.) Your personal risk, however, may actually be lower or higher than the average. Keep reading to learn why—what risk factors raise or lower the risk—as well as to learn what having an ectopic pregnancy may mean for you in the future. How Dangerous Are Ectopic Pregnancies? Ectopic pregnancies can be dangerous to the mother. Bleeding from ectopic pregnancy causes 10% of all pregnancy-related deaths, and it's the leading cause of first-trimester maternal death. Unfortunately, ectopic pregnancies are not viable and cannot result in a baby. Unfortunately, we do not yet have the technology to move a fetus implanted in the fallopian tubes to the uterus. How Are Ectopic Pregnancies Treated? There are three primary treatments for ectopic pregnancy. One is used only rarely, and involves a wait and watch approach. It is only used if the baby appears to be miscarrying and hCG levels are dropping. Treatments include either surgically removing the pregnancy or using the medication methotrexate to stop the pregnancy. If the pregnancy is found soon enough and there is little risk of rupture, and injection of methotrexate is most often used. If, however, there is a threat of rupture or any signs that rupture has occurred, surgical treatment is needed. Understanding the Statistics If you don't have risk factors, your odds of having an ectopic pregnancy may be actually lower than 1 in 50. There are several known and a few possible risk factors for an ectopic pregnancy which may boost your risk higher than average. Some of these include: Being older than 35.Smoking: The risk of ectopic pregnancy is 4 to 20 times higher in women who smoke.A previous ectopic pregnancy: If you have one ectopic pregnancy, the chance that your next pregnancy will be an ectopic pregnancy is 15%.Surgery on a fallopian tube or a birth defect in a fallopian tube or your uterusScars inside the pelvic area (these may occur from prior pelvic surgery or abdominal surgery such as an appendectomy).Endometriosis.Sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea that can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease.Having multiple sexual partners (probably secondary to sexually transmitted diseases)Problems getting pregnant or fertility treatments (women with a history of infertility have a greater risk).Getting pregnant after having your tubes tied (tubal ligation): Roughly a third of women who become pregnant after a tubal ligation will have an ectopic pregnancy.Getting pregnant when using an IUD (intrauterine device): The risk of an ectopic pregnancy in women who have an IUD varies depending upon the type of IUD.Exposure to a manufactured form of the hormone estrogen called DES (diethylstilbestrol) in the womb (doctors stopped using DES in pregnant women in the early 1970's so most women today are not at risk). After an Ectopic Pregnancy, What Happens Next Time? Women who have an ectopic pregnancy are often curious about what a pregnancy will look like in the future. It's normal to worry about this. You should know that you can have a normal pregnancy even after an ectopic pregnancy. A third of women with an ectopic pregnancy have a healthy pregnancy down the line. However, you do have a 15% chance of another ectopic pregnancy after the first one. How your ectopic pregnancy was treated may play a role in this. Studies show that women treated with medication (methotrexate) rather than surgery have a lower risk of recurrent ectopic pregnancy (8% versus up to 15%). This is one reason to get suspicious symptoms such as bleeding checked out as early as possible—ectopic pregnancies caught early are more likely to be treated with methotrexate instead of surgery. Summing Up Ectopic Pregnancy Statistics Here are the statistics for ectopic pregnancies at a glance: About 1 in every 50 pregnancies in the U.S. is an ectopic pregnancy, which cannot result in a baby.Between 6 to 16% of pregnant women who go to an emergency department in the first trimester for bleeding, pain or both have an ectopic pregnancy.Bleeding from ectopic pregnancy causes 10% of all pregnancy-related deaths, and it's the leading cause of first-trimester maternal death.A third of women with an ectopic pregnancy have a healthy pregnancy down the line.Women have a 15% chance of another ectopic pregnancy after the first one. Treatment with medication rather than surgery has a lower risk of recurrent ectopic pregnancy. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips delivered to your inbox. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Murray H, Baakdah H, Bardell T, Tulandi T. Diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancy. CMAJ. 2005;173(8):905-12. doi:10.1503/cmaj.050222 March of Dimes. Ectopic pregnancy. Updated October 2017. Stremick JK, Couperus K, Ashworth SW. Ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy at fifteen weeks gestational age. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2019;3(1):62-64. doi:10.5811/cpcem.2019.1.40860 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Ectopic pregnancy. Updated February 2018. Sivalingam VN, Duncan WC, Kirk E, Shephard LA, Horne AW. Diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancy. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2011;37(4):231-40. doi:10.1136/jfprhc-2011-0073 Reed CE, Fenton SE. Exposure to diethylstilbestrol during sensitive life stages: a legacy of heritable health effects. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 2013;99(2):134-46. doi:10.1002/bdrc.21035 Tay JI, Moore J, Walker JJ. Ectopic pregnancy. West J Med. 2000;173(2):131-4. doi:10.1136/ewjm.173.2.131 Additional Reading Tulandi, T. Ectopic pregnancy: incidence, risk factors, and pathology. UpToDate. Updated April 13, 2016.