Abstract

PIP: Previously, 10 cases of tubal pregnancy in women using progestagen-only contraception have been reported in medical journals and mention has been made of 13 unpublished cases. 9 women who had ectopic pregnancies while taking progestagen-only pills (norethisterone .3 mg) for contraception can now be added to the list. These cases were found in 4 hospitals in 3 well-defined regions in the eastern, southeastern, and western parts of Norway in less than 2 years. Statistically, 2.5 ectopic pregnancies would be expected among minipill users instead of the 9 observed in this period. It is suggested that altered tubal motility is responsible for the high incidence of ectopic pregnancies among minipill users. The hypothesis that the minipill prevents intrauterine but not extrauterine pregnancies is a possibility that is difficult to prove.