cervical pregnancy: risk factors and findings

cervical pregnancy: risk factors and findings

implantation of pregnancies in cervix (ceps) is rare, comprising less than 1% of ectopic pregnancies. as rich cervical vascularity in pregnancy, there is a marked increase in the potential of hemorrhage following the cep leading to mortality, morbidity, and infertility experienced by the implicated women. diagnosis of ceps is difficult and get identified at later gestational ages.

it is a consequence of assisted reproductive technology (art); while definitive risk factors are not fully known. possible risk factors include cervical and uterine anomalies, previous curettages or cesarean sections, smoking, tubal factor infertility, or in vitro fertilization (ivf) treatment.

our analysis of literature in 200 patients; while was restricted to case series retrospective studies, showed that a history of previous c-section, uterine curettage or d&c procedures, and history of using assisted reproductive technology might be some potential risk factors.

the increasing application of hegar dilators was hypothesized as the cause of the rise in ceps. dilation and curettage (d&c) might also make the subject vulnerable to cep development in the future. previous d&c history is a risk factor that is common among cep patients. in this review, we critically reviewed these potential risk factors. as cep rarity, it is difficult to predict as well if the risk of their recurrence is elevated.