U.S. — ProPublica analyzed CDC WONDER multiple cause of death and natality data to reveal a rise in ectopic pregnancy deaths in the U.S. from 2020 to 2025. The analysis found that almost 200 women died after an ectopic pregnancy during this five-year period. About 100 women died after an ectopic pregnancy in the six years before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, compared to a growing number in the years following the 2022 decision, suggesting a shift in maternal health outcomes during this period.

The rate of deaths involving an ectopic pregnancy in states with a strict abortion ban was 13.1 per million live births for the 2023-2025 period. States with abortion bans that begin at six weeks of pregnancy or earlier are classified as having a strict ban in the analysis. The rate of deaths involving an ectopic pregnancy in states without a strict abortion ban was 7.1 per million live births for the 2023-2025 period. The increase in ectopic pregnancy deaths has been more stark among younger women than older women.

Ectopic pregnancies typically occur in the first trimester when a pregnancy fails to implant in the uterus and develops elsewhere, most commonly in a fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy can cause the organ to rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding. Ectopic pregnancies are recognized as the leading cause of maternal deaths in the first trimester.

To treat an ectopic pregnancy, doctors must terminate it because it is almost never viable. Ectopic pregnancies impact up to 2% of pregnancies in the U.S. Government agencies do not require hospitals to track or report overall ectopic diagnoses.

Kyleigh Thurman struggled to get care for an ectopic pregnancy in Texas in 2023. Two emergency departments sent Kyleigh Thurman home without resolving her ectopic pregnancy complication despite clear signs of the condition. Kyleigh Thurman's right fallopian tube ruptured.

Kyleigh Thurman had her fallopian tube removed after it ruptured. Regulators found in 2025 that Ascension Seton Williamson failed to properly screen Kyleigh Thurman for a suspected ectopic pregnancy. Regulators found in 2025 that Ascension Seton Williamson did not call in an OB-GYN for Kyleigh Thurman. Regulators found that Ascension Seton Williamson violated federal law requiring emergency departments to treat and stabilize patients before discharging them. Regulators found that Ascension Seton Williamson violated its own policies regarding Kyleigh Thurman's care. The official record states that the Department of Health and Human Services notified Kyleigh Thurman that it had cited the Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital for violating EMTALA when it refused to provide her care for her ectopic pregnancy.

Kyleigh Thurman has an ongoing lawsuit against Ascension Seton Williamson and Ascension Seton Highland Lakes for medical malpractice. Ascension Seton hospitals denied Kyleigh Thurman’s malpractice allegations in a court filing. "When a patient experiences a serious or life-threatening condition during pregnancy, our clinicians provide medically indicated treatment, including treatment for an ectopic pregnancy," said a spokesperson for Ascension Seton hospitals.

"A death related to ectopic pregnancy should really be a never event," said Dr. Alice Abernathy, an OB-GYN in Philadelphia. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The Department of Health and Human Services has cut grant funding for maternal health. Studies have found that ectopic rates are far lower among people who seek medication abortions than in the general population.