Hospital admissions for ectopic pregnancies in England have seen a significant rise, with new research suggesting that women falling pregnant at older ages may be a contributing factor.
Analysis of data reveals a notable increase in admissions between 2004 and 2012, averaging around 3% annually.
Following a period of stabilisation from 2012 to 2021, figures have again climbed sharply, with an average increase exceeding 4% each year since 2021.
Experts from the University of Liverpool, whose findings were published in the Lancet Regional Health – Europe journal, also highlighted a stark disparity: women residing in England's most deprived areas consistently experienced higher rates of admission compared to those in more affluent regions.
Beyond older maternal age, the study points to other potential influences on this upward trend, including changes in how ectopic pregnancies are managed within hospitals and the impact of infections.
The research further indicates that between 2013 and 2024, the majority of these admissions, accounting for 45–55% annually, occurred among women aged 25 to 34.
Women aged 35 to 39 contributed a further 20–25%, while admissions among women aged 20–24 remained stable at around 15–18% each year.
“Admissions among women aged 40 (and over) increased from around 7% in 2013 to 12% in 2024, consistent with the national shift toward delayed childbearing and potentially contributing to the recent rise in ectopic pregnancy incidence,” the team said.
Experts also looked at hospital admissions for miscarriage, which declined significantly between 2018 and 2021, followed by suggestions of a modest rise after 2021.
Ectopic pregancy symptoms
Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy usually develop between the 4th and 12th weeks of pregnancy, they include:
- Vaginal bleeding (may stop and start and be dark brown in colour)
- Tummy pain (typically low down and on one side)
- Shoulder tip pain
- Toilet discomfort (pain or pressure when going for a poo or wee, or diarrhoea)
Sometimes an ectopic pregnancy grows big enough to split the fallopian tube, known as a rupture. Symptoms include:
- a sharp, sudden and intense pain in your tummy
- feeling very dizzy or fainting
- feeling sick
Call 999 or go to your nearest A&E department if you experience any of these symptoms.
The team said several factors may have contributed to a change in hospital admissions for miscarriage, including Covid-19 infections, a change in the care offered during the pandemic, and the “progressive increase in maternal age at conception in the UK, rising prevalence of obesity, and broader environmental and lifestyle changes, all of which are independently associated with miscarriage risk”.
Researchers concluded that throughout 2013 to 2024, women from the most deprived areas consistently had more than twice the hospital admissions for both miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy compared with women from the least deprived areas.
They said this reflects factors such as smoking (19% in most deprived areas versus 6% in least deprived) and obesity (36% versus 22%), and lower access to early maternity care.
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.
The pregnancy usually has to be terminated either through medication or an operation.
Ectopic pregnancy is one of the most common early pregnancy complications with an estimated 11,000 hospital admissions every year in England – around one in every 90 pregnancies.
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