Risk Factors and Patient Characteristics Associated with Ectopic Pregnancy

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is an increasingly common gynecological emergency and a major cause of maternal morbidity in early pregnancy. Understanding the demographic and clinical risk factors associated with ectopic pregnancy is essential for early diagnosis and prevention. This study aimed to assess patient characteristics, socioeconomic and reproductive factors, contraceptive use, and nutritional status associated with ectopic pregnancy. Objective: To identify and evaluate the key risk factors and patient characteristics associated with ectopic pregnancy. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. A total of 76 women were selected consecutively, including 38 ectopic pregnancy cases and 38 normal pregnancy controls. Data on age, residence, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, parity, risk factors, contraceptive use, and nutritional status were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: Most ectopic pregnancy cases were within 25–29 years of age, while the majority of the control group were 18–24 years. Middle-class socioeconomic background dominated both groups, and primiparous women accounted for the highest proportion of ectopic pregnancy cases. Several risk factors were more common among ectopic pregnancy patients, including previous ectopic pregnancy (23.7% vs 2.3%), prior abortion (50.0% vs 23.7%), pelvic inflammatory disease (34.2% vs 13.5%), and intrauterine device use (28.9% vs 11.7%). Nutritional challenges such as anemia (68.4% vs 34.2%) and lower nutritional status were also significantly higher in the ectopic pregnancy group. Conclusion: Ectopic pregnancy is strongly associated with identifiable demographic and reproductive risk factors, particularly previous ectopic pregnancy, abortion, PID, and IUD use. Poor nutritional status and anemia were also more common among these patients. Recognition of these risk profiles