Health Tip: Learning About Ectopic Pregnancy

(HealthDay News) -- When the fertilized egg doesn''t make it to the uterus and begins to grow elsewhere in the reproductive system -- in the fallopian tube, abdomen, ovary or cervix -- it''s called an ectopic pregnancy.

This is a serious condition that requires a doctor''s diagnosis and treatment.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this list of common risk factors for ectopic pregnancy:

• Having endometriosis.
• Having had a pelvic infection (such as pelvic inflammatory disease) or surgery around the pelvis.
• Being a smoker.
• Being older than 35.
• Infertility problems or treatment.
• Fallopian tube abnormalities or inflammation.
• Having had a previous ectopic pregnancy.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: March 06, 2009

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