ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the epidemiology, aetiology, pathogenesis and clinical features of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a major health problem and an important cause of morbidity and mortality in women of reproductive age. Ruptured ectopic pregnancy can cause severe intra-abdominal bleeding which may require emergency life-saving surgery. True prevalence of ectopic pregnancy is difficult to ascertain as the figures in the literature vary. Most ectopic pregnancies develop abnormally slowly which could be due to inadequate blood supply to these gestations outside the endometrial cavity. The pathophysiology behind ectopic pregnancies in the absence of tubal pathology remains unclear. One possible explanation is the poor quality of the morula, while others have claimed that that ectopic pregnancy might represent a chromosomally abnormal pregnancy. A number of risk factors for ectopic pregnancy have been reported in observational studies. Clinical presentation of ectopic pregnancy is variable and is largely determined by the location of the pregnancy.
