Ectopic pregnancy risk calculator
An educational worksheet covering the main known risk factors for ectopic pregnancy, paired with clear guidance on symptoms that need urgent, same-hour medical attention.
Seek emergency care now
One or more symptoms you selected — such as severe or worsening pain, shoulder-tip pain, feeling faint, heavy bleeding, or feeling very unwell — can occur with a ruptured or ruptured ectopic pregnancy, which is a medical emergency.
Go to the nearest emergency department, or call your local emergency number, right now. Do this before finishing this worksheet — the risk category below does not change this advice, since these symptoms need urgent evaluation regardless of your history.
How to Use the Ectopic Pregnancy Risk Calculator
This guide explains what the calculator does, how to fill it in, and how to read the result. It is written for anyone using the tool on the website — no medical background needed.
What this tool is for
The Ectopic Pregnancy Risk Calculator is an educational screening worksheet. It helps you:
- organize the main known risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in one place
- understand which symptoms need emergency care right away
- prepare specific questions to bring to a doctor, midwife, or nurse
What this tool is not for
- It does not diagnose ectopic pregnancy.
- It cannot rule ectopic pregnancy in or out.
- It is not a substitute for an hCG blood test or ultrasound — those are the only ways to actually confirm where a pregnancy is located.
- Most people who have an ectopic pregnancy have no identifiable risk factor at all, so a “Low” result here is not a guarantee.
If you take away only one thing from this guide, let it be this: the result category never overrides your symptoms. If you feel very unwell, keep reading to the “Emergency symptoms” section below before anything else.
Step 1: Read the top notice first
Before you enter anything, the page shows a short reminder that this is an educational tool only. It’s worth reading once, since it sets expectations for everything below it.
Step 2: Fill in your risk factors
Work through each question in the “Risk factors” section. There’s no need to answer every field before you see a result — the calculator updates live as you go, but your answer will be more useful once the whole section is complete.
| Question | What it’s asking |
|---|---|
| Previous ectopic pregnancy | Have you personally had an ectopic pregnancy before? This is the single strongest known risk factor. |
| Pregnancy with an IUD in place | Did you conceive this pregnancy while an IUD was fitted? |
| IVF or assisted reproduction | Was this pregnancy conceived through IVF or a similar fertility treatment? |
| Fallopian tube history | Tick any that apply: prior tubal surgery or sterilization, prior pelvic infection (PID, chlamydia, gonorrhea), or known tubal damage/endometriosis. You can select more than one. |
| Smoking status | Choose the option that best describes you now: never, former, or current smoker. |
There’s no wrong answer here — if you’re unsure about something (for example, whether a past infection was ever formally diagnosed as PID), make your best estimate and mention the uncertainty when you talk to your provider.
Step 3: Fill in your current symptoms
This section is split into two groups on purpose.
“Needs emergency care immediately if present” — these are symptoms that, especially together, can indicate a ruptured or rupturing ectopic pregnancy:
- sudden, severe, or rapidly worsening abdominal or pelvic pain
- pain at the tip of your shoulder
- feeling faint, dizzy, or like you might pass out
- heavy vaginal bleeding
- a fast heartbeat, clammy skin, or feeling very unwell
If you tick any of these, stop filling in the rest of the form. A red alert box will appear telling you to go to the nearest emergency department or call your local emergency number right away. This advice does not change no matter what your risk factors are — do this first, and finish the worksheet later if you want to, for your own records.
“Present, but not on its own an emergency” — mild one-sided pain, light spotting, or no symptoms at all. These are still worth mentioning to a provider, ideally the same day, but they are not by themselves a reason to go to the emergency room.
Step 4: Read your result
Once you’ve answered the risk-factor questions, the panel on the right (or below, on a phone) shows three things:
- A category — Low, Moderate, or Higher. This reflects only the well-established risk factors you entered; it is not a percentage or a prediction of what will happen to you.
- A short explanation of what that category generally means and what a reasonable next step looks like.
- A list of questions for your clinician, tailored to what you entered — for example, if you ticked IVF, it will suggest asking your fertility clinic how they coordinate early monitoring.
If you want to start over, use the Reset worksheet button at the bottom of the results panel.
Understanding the three categories
- Low — none of the strongly linked risk factors were selected. Standard early-pregnancy care, including a routine dating ultrasound, is the usual next step.
- Moderate — a factor with a modest link to ectopic pregnancy is present (for example, IVF conception or current smoking). It’s reasonable to ask about earlier hCG monitoring or an earlier confirmatory scan.
- Higher — a factor with a strong, well-documented link is present (a prior ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy with an IUD in place, or a tubal surgery/infection/damage history). Ask your provider about early hCG tracking and a transvaginal ultrasound as soon as it can reliably confirm where the pregnancy is.
What to do with your result
Bring your result and question list to your next appointment, or call your provider’s office if you’d rather not wait. A useful way to open the conversation:
“I used an online screening tool that flagged [your category] for ectopic pregnancy risk because of [your factors]. Can we talk about the best timing for confirming where this pregnancy is?”
Frequently asked questions
Can I trust a “Low” result completely? No. Most ectopic pregnancies happen to people with no known risk factors. A low score means none of the specific factors this tool checks for are present — it doesn’t mean the risk is zero.
I ticked an emergency symptom by mistake. What do I do? Untick it and the alert will disappear. But if you’re genuinely experiencing that symptom, please don’t dismiss it — seek care.
Does this tool store or send my answers anywhere? No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser; nothing you enter is saved or transmitted.
Can I use this more than once, in different pregnancies? Yes. Since risk factors like tubal surgery history or prior ectopic pregnancy can change over time, it’s fine to redo the worksheet in a future pregnancy.
A final reminder
This tool is meant to make a conversation with a clinician easier, not to replace one. If anything about your situation feels urgent, don’t wait for a calculator result — contact emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.
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