Implantation of a fertilized ovum outside the uterine cavity, most commonly in the fallopian tube (see Implantation sites of ectopic pregnancy, page 58)

Prognosis good with prompt diagnosis, appropriate surgical intervention, and control of bleeding

Very few fetuses carried to term; rarely, with abdominal implantation, fetus survives to term

About one in three chance of giving birth to live neonate in subsequent pregnancy

Incidence in whites, about 1 in 200 pregnancies; in nonwhites, about 1 in 120 pregnancies

Complications: rupture of fallopian tube, hemorrhage, shock, peritonitis, infertility, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and death