Deaths from ectopic pregnancy in the US have nearly doubled in just a few years, with death rates substantially higher in states that have imposed abortion bans, an analysis of official data has found.

ProPublica's review of figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found almost 200 women died from the condition between 2020 and 2025, compared with about 100 in the previous six years.

'A death related to ectopic pregnancy should really be a never event,' said Dr Alice Abernathy, an obstetrician-gynaecologist in Philadelphia. Experts told ProPublica that deaths from the condition should be preventable with prompt treatment.

The rise occurred nationwide. Experts said abortion restrictions should be considered among the possible factors, but stressed that bans alone cannot explain the national trend.

Some deaths may have been linked to disruption to hospital services during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet the increase continued after wider healthcare systems stabilised. The analysis shows an association, not proof that bans caused the increase.

Diagnostic Uncertainty Over a Treatable Emergency

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube. The pregnancy cannot normally continue safely, and the tube can rupture, causing severe internal bleeding. The condition affects up to 2% of pregnancies in the US.

Early symptoms, including abdominal pain and bleeding, can look deceptively familiar. Ultrasound and blood tests can help doctors establish whether a pregnancy is ectopic, but very early pregnancies may not be visible on a scan, forcing clinicians to rely on repeated testing.

Many abortion bans explicitly contain exceptions for ectopic pregnancies. The problem, according to clinicians and legal experts cited by ProPublica, is the period before the condition can be confirmed beyond doubt.

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Patients Caught in Limbo in Texas and Oklahoma

Kyleigh Thurman experienced that uncertainty in Texas in 2023. Two emergency departments sent her home before the complication was resolved, and her right fallopian tube later ruptured. 'I genuinely thought I was going to die,' she said.

Regulators later found that Ascension Seton Williamson had failed to properly screen her for a suspected ectopic pregnancy and had not called an obstetrician-gynaecologist. Ms Thurman is pursuing a malpractice lawsuit against two hospitals.

Ascension Seton said its clinicians provide medically indicated treatment for serious or life-threatening pregnancy conditions, including ectopic pregnancies. It denied Ms Thurman's allegations in court.

In Oklahoma, Leitaea Lowrimore sought treatment after abdominal pain and significant bleeding. According to her lawsuit, she visited three hospitals across Oklahoma and Arkansas as her symptoms worsened, before travelling to Kansas, where she received methotrexate.

ProPublica's analysis of Texas hospital data found 310 more patients experienced substantial blood loss after an ectopic pregnancy in 2023 and 2024 than in 2018 and 2019, an increase of about 29%. The rise began during the pandemic but remained elevated after Texas adopted its restrictive abortion law.

Texas passed the Life of the Mother Act in 2025, explicitly adding ectopic pregnancies to its exceptions. However, Texas Medical Board guidance still focuses on an ectopic pregnancy visible on ultrasound, leaving questions over cases where an early scan cannot identify the pregnancy's location.

Gaps in Tracking and a UK Contrast

Hospitals are not required to track every ectopic diagnosis, making it impossible to say from available data whether the condition itself has become more common. ProPublica found gaps in national research, training and surveillance, while experts said the federal capacity to investigate maternal health had been weakened by staffing and funding cuts.

The UK offers a contrast. After 12 women died from ectopic pregnancies in the UK and Ireland in 2021 and 2022, researchers investigated the causes and produced policy recommendations.

Marian Knight of the University of Oxford said identifying the problem was the essential first step. 'If we're not tracking and not just understanding the numbers, but understanding the why behind the numbers, we have no ability to respond,' she said.

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