# The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the clinical presentation of tubal ectopic pregnancies: a retrospective cohort study

## TL;DR

This study found no significant changes in the clinical presentation of tubal ectopic pregnancies during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic compared to before.

## Contribution

The study is one of the few to evaluate the pandemic's impact on tubal ectopic pregnancies.

## Key findings

- No significant differences were observed in demographic characteristics or treatment outcomes between the pre-pandemic and pandemic groups.
- Serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels were higher in the pandemic group, but the difference was not statistically significant.
- Healthcare professionals are encouraged to ensure patients seek timely medical care despite no significant clinical changes observed.

## Abstract

We aimed to assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the clinical presentation of tubal ectopic pregnancies.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary center and included 76 cases of tubal ectopic pregnancies. The study period was divided into two groups: the pre-coronavirus disease group (January 2018 to February 2020, Group 1; n=47, 61.8%) and the coronavirus disease group (March 2020 to February 2022, Group 2; n=29, 38.2%). Subgroup analysis was also performed for tubal ruptured ectopic pregnancies as Group 1 (n=15, 62.5%) and Group 2 (n=9, 37.5%).

No statistically significant differences were observed between the pre-coronavirus disease and coronavirus disease groups in terms of demographic characteristics. Although the serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin level was found to be higher in Group 2, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.7). The groups appeared to be similar in treatment management, duration of hospitalization, and blood transfusion needs (p=0.3, p=0.6, and p=0.5, respectively). Additionally, no significant difference was observed between the groups in the evaluation of ruptured ectopic pregnancies (p=0.5). In the subgroup analysis of tubal ruptured ectopic pregnancies, no significant difference was observed.

To the best of our knowledge, there are few studies evaluating the effect of the pandemic on tubal ectopic pregnancies in the literature. Although we did not report statistically significant differences between groups in our study, given the potential prolonged duration of the pandemic, healthcare professionals should actively prompt their patients to seek necessary medical assistance.