An ectopic pregnancy (EP) results when the blastocyst implants and grows in a location other than the endometri-al cavity. EP occurs in nearly 2% of all pregnancies in the United States, and estimates are that its incidence rose more than six-fold in the last quarter of the 20th century.1 The rising disease rates may be explained by a growing population at risk, as well as improved treatment for infertility and pelvic infection; but the more than 100,000 documented cases per year probably understate the true extent of the problem because so many women are now managed entirely in an office setting with medical treatment alone.
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