Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Doubled. Here’s What Changed.
Nearly 200 women died from ectopic pregnancies between 2020 and 2025, according to a ProPublica analysis of CDC mortality data. That is roughly double the number recorded in the six years before. Ectopic pregnancies are among the most well-understood obstetric emergencies in medicine. They have established treatments. And yet women are dying from them at an accelerating rate.
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube. Without early treatment, the tube can rupture, causing life-threatening internal bleeding. One OB-GYN described death from ectopic pregnancy as a never event — something that should not happen in modern medicine.
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The increase tracks with abortion restrictions passed after Dobbs. In states with strict abortion bans, methotrexate — the drug used to treat ectopic pregnancies — was refused or delayed at pharmacies uncertain about liability.
Maternal health experts have cautioned that bans alone cannot explain the full increase, but the correlation is direct and the baseline is stark: death from ectopic pregnancy should not happen with timely care.
If you experience pelvic pain, shoulder pain, or bleeding in early pregnancy, seek emergency evaluation immediately. These are warning signs of ectopic pregnancy.