THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Although Florida's rate of ectopic pregnancy-related deaths was on a par with that of the rest of the nation in 2008, about 0.6 deaths per 100,000 births, the number jumped to 2.5 per 100,000 in 2009 to 2010, according to research published in the Feb. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
Dani Noell, of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues compiled a report on ectopic pregnancy deaths in Florida based on the review of a multidisciplinary investigation into cause of death, risk factors, and prevention opportunities.
The investigators identified 13 ectopic pregnancy deaths from 1999 to 2008, representing 3.5 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths for that time period. From 2009 to 2010, 11 ectopic pregnancy deaths occurred, representing 10.8 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths. The abrupt increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths may be associated with illicit drug use and the delayed seeking of health care.
"Efforts to prevent ectopic pregnancy deaths need to ensure early access to care, promote awareness about early pregnancy testing and ectopic pregnancy risk, and raise public awareness about substance abuse health risks, especially during pregnancy," the authors write.
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