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Subject Area

General Surgery

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the incidence, clinical presentation and risk factors of ectopic pregnancies. Background Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening gynaecological emergency, and a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Patients and methods This was a retrospective, descriptive study of ectopic pregnancies managed during the study period (1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013). The medical records of the patients managed for ectopic pregnancy as well as the total birth record and gynaecological admission records during the period under review were retrieved, and data were collected. There were 3719 gynaecological admissions and 14 150 deliveries, with 121 cases of ectopic pregnancies. A total of 115 cases were suitable for analysis after excluding cases with incomplete and missing records. The relevant data collected were analysed with simple descriptive statistics and presented in frequency charts and tables. Results Ectopic pregnancy constituted 3.25% of all gynaecological admissions, and its incidence was 0.86%. The mean age of the patients was 28.6 ± 6.6 years. The common (99 of 115, 86.09%) clinical presentation was abdominal pain, and the commonly (79 of 115, 68.70%) identified risk factor was a previous history of miscarriage. Conclusion Ectopic pregnancy is a recognised cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and has remained a reproductive health challenge to Nigerian women, as well as a threat to efforts in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 in sub-Saharan Africa.

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