Evaluation of risk factors for ectopic pregnancy among women attending a tertiary care hospital in United Arab Emirates: A case control study

Objective: To evaluate and analyze potential risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in a tertiary care Hospital in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: A case control study was conducted in Mafraq Hospital from August 2008 to December 2011. The study subjects included 108 women diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy (cases group) and 216 women who delivered in the study hospital during the same time period (control group). Results: In our study population the risk of ectopic pregnancy was found 8 fold more in women who had past history of pelvic inflammatory disease (OR 8.14, 95% CI, 1.90- 34.77, p=0.005), 6 fold more in women with infertility (OR 6.57,95% CI, 3.06-14.08, p=0.000), 3 fold more in women with previous pelvic surgery (OR 3.33, 95% CI, 1.28- 8.66, p=0.01) and 1.7 fold more in women with previous history of spontaneous miscarriages (OR 1.76, 95% CI, 1.03-3.00, p=0.03) as compared to those women who had normal delivery. Conclusion: Results of this study supported the hypothesis that a past history of pelvic inflammatory disease, history of infertility for at least 2 years preceding the ectopic pregnancy, past history of pelvic surgery and previous spontaneous miscarriages are significant risk factors for the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy. Increased awareness and knowledge of risk factors among the women population can enable an early detection and diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy thereby leading to early intervention and conservative approach for management. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljog.v35i2.6168 Sri Lanka Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2013; 35: 53-57