Open AccessRisk factors for ectopic pregnancy in a population of Cameroonian women: A case-control study
Author(s) -
Yvette Audrey Assouni Mindjah,
Félix Essiben,
Pascal Foumane,
Julius Sama Dohbit,
Emile Télesphore Mboudou
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0207699
Subject(s) - medicine , odds ratio , ectopic pregnancy , obstetrics , pelvic inflammatory disease , pregnancy , population , confidence interval , case control study , gynecology , intrauterine device , risk factor , confounding , family planning , logistic regression , environmental health , research methodology , genetics , biology
Objective To identify the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy (EP) in a population of Cameroonian women. Sample and methods We performed a matched case-control study; 88 women with diagnosed EP (cases), and 176 women with first trimester intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) (controls), who underwent questionnaires. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and adjusted for potential confounding factors via multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Of the fifteen identified risk factors, 4 were independently associated with increased odds of EP: prior pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 13.18; 95% CI 6.19–27.42), followed by current use of levonorgestrel-only pills for emergency contraception (LNG-EC) (AOR 10.15; 95% CI 2.21–46.56), previous use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) (AOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.04–8.69) and smoking at the time of conception (AOR 2.68; 95% CI 1.12–6.40). Conclusion The present study confirms the wide variety of EP’s risk factors. Moreover, some new findings including current use of LNG-EC, previous use of DMPA, smoking at the time of conception are noteworthy. Thus, in our limited resources country where prevention remains the cornerstone for reducing EP chances of occurrence, clinicians should do enough counselling, especially to women with known risk factors. The necessity to facilitate access to more equipment to enable early diagnosis of EP is very crucial and should be seriously considered, in order to reduce the burden of EP in Cameroonian women.