REPRODUCTIVE POTENTIAL AFTER AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY

Objective: To measure statistically how soon pregnancy can occur after an ectopic pregnancy (EP) so as to determine the cumulative pregnancy rate and the risk factors involved in nonpregnancy. Design: The risk of not getting pregnant after an EP (survivorship) was estimated for 1 20 patients followed up for up to 60 months using the actuarial life-t able technique. The risk factors involved in nonpregnancy, abortions, or live births were analyzed, using Cox regression models. Setting: Ki ng Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: There we re 68 pregnancies over the study period, with a conception rate of 56. 7%. Using the actuarial life table, the cumulative probability of not achieving pregnancy in a patient decreased sharply during the first 12 months, followed by a gradual decrease up to 48 months. The Cox regre ssion analysis showed a correlation between pregnancy and two variable s, namely, age and history of prior EP. The chances of a pregnancy res ulting in abortion or live birth also correlated with the presence of prior infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or postoperative complications. Conclusion: Age and prior EP are important determinant s in pregnancy rates after an EP. Similarly, history of PID, infertili ty, and postoperative complications are important risk factors in whet her the pregnancy goes to term or ends in abortion.