Can I Get Pregnant After an Ectopic Pregnancy?

Medically Reviewed by Traci C. Johnson, MD on November 12, 2022
2 min read

If you’ve had an ectopic pregnancy, you probably have a ton of questions for your doctor. One of them likely will be whether you can get pregnant again. And if you can, are the chances now higher that this problem will happen again?

The easy answer to both of those questions is yes: You can deliver a healthy, full-term baby after an ectopic pregnancy. And yes, your odds are slightly higher of having another ectopic pregnancy.

Because you’ve had one fertilized egg fail to implant in the uterus, there’s a little more likelihood that it’ll happen again.

But there are many issues at play that it’s impossible to give one answer for every woman. A lot depends on why your ectopic pregnancy happened and how it was resolved. You also have to consider your history of infertility and other risk factors for ectopic pregnancy.

 

After an ectopic pregnancy, there’s about a 10-15% chance it will happen again. So, one important issue to think about is the reason for your previous ectopic pregnancy. Your medical history will play a big part in any future pregnancies.

A history of infertility will be the biggest influence on your odds of getting pregnant again -- and, unfortunately, it might also raise the chances of another ectopic pregnancy.

If you have an oddly shaped fallopian tube, or if you have scarring from surgery or a sexually transmitted infection, you’ll probably have a harder time getting (and staying) pregnant.

Smoking raises your odds of an ectopic pregnancy even more. Your age matters, too. Most ectopic pregnancies occur in women in their late 30s and early 40s.

One thing is certain: If you do get pregnant again, you’ll be in the high-risk category. Your doctor will watch closely from early on to make sure everything goes smoothly.