Ectopic pregnancy in the United States 1970 through 1978.

Trends of the incidence and mortality associated with ectopic pregnancy (EP) in the United States were examined for 1970 through 1978. The estimated number of EPs rose from 17,800 in 1970 to 42,400 in 1978, and the EP incidence rate rose from 4.5 per 1,000 reported pregnancies to 9.4 during the same time period. The risk of EP was higher for older women and nonwhite women. Over 2.5% of all reported pregnancies among nonwhite women aged 35 to 44 years were ectopic. The death-to-case rate for EP declined almost 75% during the study period but remained consistently higher for nonwhite women as compared with white women.