If pregnancy occurs following a tubal ligation, is it more likely to be an ectopic pregnancy than an intrauterine pregnancy?
Yes. Overall rates of pregnancy are dramatically reduced after tubal ligation but if a pregnancy occurs the tubal distortion resulting from the procedure makes it more likely that the pregnancy will become trapped in the tube. The rate of ectopic pregnancy among sterilized women ranges from four to 73 percent of all pregnancies, depending upon the method of sterilization. There is an approximately three-fold greater incidence of ectopic pregnancy after electrocoagulation than after the use of silastic rings. Ectopic pregnancies may occasionally occur at six or more years after sterilization.
