Ectopic pregnancies in upstate New York.

Data on ectopic pregnancies reported to the New York State Department of Health for upstate residents for the years 1971 through 1979 were analyzed by maternal age, race, and gravidity. Trends in the rate of ectopic pregnancies were also examined for this time period. The rate of ectopic pregnancies per 1,000 conceptions increased with increasing maternal age and was higher for nonwhite women compared with white women. There was a slight increase in the rate of ectopic pregnancies with increasing gravidity, but this was due in part to the interaction of age with gravidity. The rate of ectopic pregnancies per 1,000 conceptions increased by 217% from 1971 to 1979. This trend differed within subgroups of maternal age, race, and gravidity. The percentage of increase was greater for women 30 years of age or older compared with women 30 years of age or younger, greater for white women compared with nonwhite women, and greater for women with three or more previous pregnancies compared with women with fewer previous pregnancies.