(HealthDay News) -- When the fertilized egg doesn't make it to the uterus and begins to grow elsewhere in the reproductive system -- in the fallopian tube, abdomen, ovary or cervix -- it's called an ectopic pregnancy.
This is a serious condition that requires a doctor's diagnosis and treatment.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this list of common risk factors for ectopic pregnancy:
- Having endometriosis.
- Having had a pelvic infection (such as pelvic inflammatory disease) or surgery around the pelvis.
- Being a smoker.
- Being older than 35.
- Infertility problems or treatment.
- Fallopian tube abnormalities or inflammation.
- Having had a previous ectopic pregnancy.
