ectopic pregnancy

American  

noun

Medicine/Medical.

ectopic pregnancies plural

1. the development of a fertilized ovum outside the uterus, as in a Fallopian tube.

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ectopic pregnancy British  

noun

1. pathol the abnormal development of a fertilized egg outside the cavity of the uterus, usually within a Fallopian tube

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ectopic pregnancies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ectopic pregnancy

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

The disparity was stark for ectopic pregnancy: The data indicate that the inappropriate provision of mifepristone to a woman with an ectopic pregnancy was between three and six times more likely with remote dispensing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

A former Daily Mail editor has denied obtaining sensitive medical information about the actress Sadie Frost's ectopic pregnancy though unlawful means.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

Ever since my ectopic pregnancy, my cycle had gone haywire.

From Slate • Jan. 2, 2025

The “Transformers” actor previously had an ectopic pregnancy and “other things that I’m not going to say because God forbid the world will be in an uproar,” she told Women’s Wear Daily last year.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2024

Illnesses have always run through his family—his father died years ago after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, his aunt died from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, and so on—but Vin believed he was better, stronger.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera