Most common cause of ectopic pregnancy

After fertilisation, an embryo normally travels through a fallopian tube to the uterus. Scarring, narrowing or altered tube movement can delay that journey, allowing implantation in the tube. Pelvic inflammatory disease is one possible cause of tube damage; previous tubal surgery, endometriosis and some fertility-related factors may also be relevant. Sometimes no clear cause is found, and an ectopic pregnancy is not caused by something a person did.

[Ectopic Pregnancy](/conditions/ectopic-pregnancy/) may begin with one-sided pelvic pain, bleeding or symptoms of pregnancy. A positive pregnancy test does not show where the pregnancy is located.

Contact a pregnancy-care service promptly if you have pain or bleeding, especially with a history of tubal disease or surgery. Assessment can involve repeated pregnancy-hormone tests and a [Transvaginal Ultrasound](/treatments/diagnostics-and-imaging/transvaginal-ultrasound/), sometimes with follow-up when the pregnancy is very early. Management may involve monitoring, medicine or surgery depending on the location, symptoms and test results. A [Salpingectomy](/treatments/gynaecological-surgery/salpingectomy/) removes an affected fallopian tube when surgery is needed.

Get emergency care for sudden or worsening abdominal or [Pelvic Pain](/symptoms/pelvic-pain/), shoulder-tip pain, dizziness, fainting, weakness or heavy vaginal bleeding during a possible pregnancy. These symptoms can signal internal bleeding. Do not wait for a routine appointment if you feel faint or severely unwell, even if an earlier test was reassuring.

Where is the pregnancy located, and when should it be rechecked? Could prior pelvic inflammatory disease or surgery affect my tubes? Which treatment options fit my results? What symptoms mean I should go directly to emergency care?