Epidemiology of ectopic pregnancy: A cross sectional study in a sub urban teaching hospital of West Bengal

Abstract

Objectives: To understand the epidemiology, prevalence of high risk factors, the mode of treatment in ectopic pregnancy (EP) cases over a largely unevaluated population. Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2012 to December 2012 in a teaching hospital of Kalyani, West Bengal. History was taken post-operatively in all patients diagnosed with EP according to the pre designed schedule after obtaining informed verbal consent. The data was analysed using statistical formula as applicable. During this period we noted 62 cases diagnosed having ectopic pregnancy intra-operatively. The mean, standard deviation along with the p value were calculated by using SPSS 16.0 software. Results: The mean age of study population was 28.53 years, most of them were Hindus. Nearly two thirds of women were in 18 to 30 years age-group. Every four out of fi ve study subjects were from the lower or lower middle socio-economic class. Right side of the tube was affected in 59.2% patients. The occurrence of ectopic among different religion, social class, period of gestation, gravida, last child birth was signifi cant (p<0.05). Signifi cant risk factors associated with ectopic pregnancy were as follows: past history of miscarriage, use of oral contraceptive pill, pelvic and or abdominal surgery, pelvic-infl ammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, use of intrauterine contraceptive devices, OCP use at the time of the present conception. Conclusions: The results pointed an increase in number of EP cases among middle aged women, Hindus, lower socio economic class, multigravida, more than four weeks of gestation suggesting that its importance as a public health problem had not diminished in these intervening years.

Keywords

• ectopic pregnancy
• cross sectional study
• epidemiology
• informed verbal consent
• intra operatively