Delayed ectopic pregnancies after sterilization

Female sterilization as an interval, postabortal or postpartum procedure, is one of the most widely employed contraceptive techniques on a global basis. The short-term complications of sterilization, which include intra- and extrauterine pregnancies, are well researched and documented. The figures for long-term complications, including ectopic pregnancy, are much less reliable as the follow-up rates diminish as time passes after sterilization. Three cases of tubal pregnancy that occurred long after interval sterilization are presented as a warning against the assumption that long-term complications cannot occur.