[Update on Current Care Guidelines: Ectopic pregnancy]

Ectopic pregnancy should be suspected it a woman of fertile age has lower abdominal pain and irregular vaginal bleeding. Symptoms range from almost none to shock. The diagnosis is based on a quantitative serum pregnancy test (hCG) and transvaginal ultrasound. An acute situation requires emergency surgery, whereas patients with mild symptoms should be treated policlinically by follow-up or a single intramuscular dose (1 mg/kg) of methotrexate. No folic acid supplementation is needed. In later pregnancies their location should be verified by transvaginal ultrasound done by the seventh gestational week at the latest.