I am having a scan tomorrow to find out if my pregnancy is ectopic. If it is I would like to know what I can expect...

[Katnisscupcake]

Hi there,

So as the title says, I'm having a scan tomorrow at the epu to find out if my pregnancy is ectopic or a miscarriage.

I know it sounds horrid but I'm hoping that it is an MC as the alternative at 38 could mean the end to us having a second child.

Emotionally I'm ok with the pg coming to an end as I've known something is wrong since I found out I was pg last week, a day after finishing what I thought was a normal af. I've been bleeding brown and red blood on and off eversince. My blood levels over 48 hours only went from 378 to 490.

But if the worst happens and its ectopic, I want to know what I can expect to happen. What the procedures will be, will I have to stay in hospital, what is the recovery like, how soon can we try again, how much pain will I be in, etc etc.

Can anyone help? I'm not really in any pain at the moment and I will be 6 weeks on Saturday.

[BabbleBitch]

The same happened to me and I was diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy at 7 weeks in 2002.
I was in pain and had a bit of bleeding. I underwent a laparotomy and removal of a Fallopian tube under GA. I stayed in hospital for 5 days afterwards.
I took 3 months off work after that.
I was worried that I would not conceive again after that but became pregnant with DC3 in 2008 after 4 months of not using contraception. I was 37 years old.
I hope all is well with your scan tomorrow.

[Katnisscupcake]

Thank you bobby. And congratulations that you had a third DC !

Did you have to take three months off? I do an office job from home so may be able to work sooner I guess... x

[CrikeyOHare]

Well, I had an ectopic 17 years ago. Obviously, medical techniques have moved on considerably since those days but I'll still tell you what happened to me.

I had (what I thought was) a late period that didn't stop. After about two weeks the pain in my tummy was becoming unbearable so I went to my GP - at this point I was literally pouring blood. He sent me straight to A&E where they scanned me and found a large pool of blood in my abdomen.

Later that night (under GA) I had a camera inserted in through my tummy button which showed them that I had a pregnancy in my left fallopian tube. They then opened me up properly & removed the whole tube.

When I came round the next morning I felt tired and weak from the blood loss, but that's about all. The pain was surprisingly minimal and I didn't need painkillers. My tummy felt tight and coughing hurt a bit - and all I could do was hobble, but I was really OK.

They debated whether or not to give me a blood transfusion and decided not to, just prescribing iron instead. I went home after 5 days.

One year later, I was pregnant again with my now 15 year old DS. I have to say, nearly everyone I have ever spoken to who also lost a tube did successfully get pregnant again quite quickly. Your fertility chances are only slightly reduced if you still have one healthy tube.

I would say full recovery took about 6 weeks.

This is probably more or less what will happen to you if they go down the surgical route. But they may not. There is now a drug that can be taken instead, I believe - but I don't know much about that.

GOOD LUCK - and let us know how you get on :) xx

[Katnisscupcake]

Thank you crikey. Thank you so much for the details that you've given.

I've also heard of the drug but apparently they don't recommend that you try for a baby for 6 months after taking it and because I'm 38, I'm a bit worried about that... But I'm guessing I probably wouldn't be given the choice...

Thank you again. X

[CrikeyOHare]

No problem. But please, please - if you should start to get any pain in your tummy before tomorrow, go to A&E immediately - get an ambulance if necessary. Don't mess about with out of hours GPs or anything. Rupture is rare, but if it happens it's an emergency situation. (Although that tends to happen around the 10 week mark, so it's unlikely to happen to you).

Will keep my fingers crossed for you :)

[BabbleBitch]

I am a nurse so I had to take 3 months off to recover. I probably could have returned to work after 6 weeks if I had an office job. I wasn't allowed to drive for 4 weeks.
We were advised not to have sex for a month but we got carried away after 2 weeks AND the condom split so we had to go to the FPC for the morning after pill!

[PuffPants]

Hi Kat, I am at home recovering from surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy on Sunday at 6 +3. I can tell you what happened to me. But are you sure yours is ectopic and not a miscarriage? There is usually pain with an ectopic. Certainly once things get to the point of no return anyway.

My warning signs were a little pale pink spotting a week ago, then some brown slightly stringy bleeding, then a strong throbbing on one side. My GP suggested a scan and I foolishly decided to wait it out. If they'd have spotted it sooner things might have played out differently. On Saturday night I had terrible abdominal cramps, was twisted up in pain all night - and had the tell-tale shoulder pain - then the bleeding started. We went to A&E where I was swiftly transferred to Gynae. I was scanned, over the tummy and with a vaginal probe. I had a lot of internal bleeding which made it hard to see clearly. They didn't diagnose ectopic for certain but I knew that's what it was. Said they needed to operate immediately.

So......turned out my left Fallopian tube had ruptured and I was bleeding a great deal from it. The tube was removed via keyhole surgery (general anaesthetic) lasting about an hour and a half. They said there was no infection and that the other tube was clear. I came out of hospital the next day with just painkillers. The pain was fairly mild, compared to the ectopic itself anyway. I am now 4 days on and the incision sites are sore but I have no pain when sitting still. I need to rest a lot, no lifting or stretching for 1 to 2 weeks they said.

They warned me that if they couldn't see clearly enough when doing the keyhole surgery then they would have to make a cut like in a c-section. Luckily that didn't happen.

Re:fertility in the future, the gynae consultant told me that my fertility is reduced by about 30% not half. This is because eggs released on the side with no tube often get picked up by the other tube. In fact, that's exactly what had happened to me this month. They said I had ovulated on the right side but the pregnancy was forming in my left tube.

I don't feel unduly worried about that side of things. Very frustrated to be back to square one - we started trying for this baby at Christmas. Also sad, of course, that it has gone this way. And a bit overwhelmed by the suddenness if it and realising how dangerous it could have been.

I'm only telling you this because you asked - there's a good chance none of this will apply to you. I really hope you get answers soon.

[PuffPants]

Crikey, I'm pretty sure ectopics don't get as far as 10 weeks. The tube cannot support the growing embryo much beyond 6 weeks and that's the most common time for rupture

[Katnisscupcake]

Babble, thank you for the update.

Puffpants, I'm so sorry for what you went through. I have to admit that I'm surprised that it might be ectopic as like you said I'm in no real pain. Occasionally I get period type pains but not severe and they don't last long at all.

I guess i will find out either way tomorrow.

Xx

[CrikeyOHare]

Puffpants - I was 10 weeks. I didn't rupture but the tube was being damaged. My consultant at the time told me that it's often around the 10 week mark.

[CrikeyOHare]

Having said that - I'd been bleeding for some time so the embryo probably was more like 8 weeks, so you might be right.

Did you have a blood transfusion, Puffy? It's just that your experience sounds like almost exactly what happened to me.

[PuffPants]

Sorry for contradicting you Crikey, clearly it does happen later then. Or maybe some people just live with the ruptured tube a bit longer than others.

No, I didn't need a transfusion, they said I lost about a pint which was ok. I felt weak in hospital though and was very pale. My blood pressure was crazy low for a while and I did have fluids on a drip. But that was all before the operation while I was waiting to go down.

Did they take your ovary? The gynae told me that's how they used to do it but that it's not considered necessary anymore and therefore fertility isn't halved like it used to be.

[Lolcbcb]

Hi kat
I had a scan last week and was told it could be ectopic. Had lots of cramps and brown blood at that point.
In the end the bleeding got heavier and my bloods went down so I was told it was a mc and I just had to wait.
I too am 38 but when given the choice I was going to try the meds first in order to avoid surgery. Having said that there is a risk you will need surgery anyway even with meds.
My doctor also said fertility is only 25% reduced if you lose a tube so not as bad as I thought.
Hope you end up same as me with the (??!!) good news of mc rather than ectopic. I had cramps too but that was just my body' s efforts to expel the baby so it could be that.
Good luck x

[CrikeyOHare]

"Sorry for contradicting you Crikey...." No, that's OK. We want OP to have the best info.

No, they left my ovary in place....for fertility reasons, I believe. Can't recall - lost a lot of brain cells since then .

I know after the op they told me that, while there was a lot of blood in my abdominal cavity, my body had started the process of healing itself. The embryo had started to reabsorb and the bleeding had stopped - so even if I hadn't gone in, I would probably have been OK eventually, although at VERY massive risk of it happening all over again because my tube was so damaged.

Hope we're not scaring you OP. Personally, I'm hoping after hearing from us that you are feeling a little reassured by your own lack of symptoms. Ectopics nearly always carry severe pain so here's hoping that, for you, this is a straightforward mc. (Sounds terrible writing that, but you know what I mean).

Let us know how you are, ok? :)

[Katnisscupcake]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all the information. I'm really hoping that it is just a normal MC aswell as tonight I've had some small clots, but brown so I'm guessing old ones. So I wonder if the MC is just a really slow one.

Again, I've had no pain at all during the day today. Just slight twinges.

Xx

[RancerDoo]

Hi Katnisscupcake

I posted on your previous thread. I'm glad you're getting a scan.

With me, I was diagnosed around the 6 week mark. When I first went to hospital there was nothing much on the screen so they monitored my hcg levels every 48 hours until they reached 1500, then rescanned and saw a mass next to my ovary.
I had methotrexate, which made me feel shit but ended the pregnancy quickly. I had bfns in around 3 weeks. It was very emotional (hormones) and I had around 2 weeks off work. We had to wait to ttc for 3 months (methotrexate is toxic).

The second time (same tube) I had laparoscopic surgery and the tube removed. I was off work for a little under two weeks, and pregnant again 4 months later. Your fertility is not halved by the loss of a tube - i was told the impact is far less. I've since had my amazing dd2 and I am grateful every day for her

Good luck for tomorrow, I hope it goes ok.

[Lolcbcb]

Isn't it a most unfair world when a mc is the best that can happen to you???
When the hospital called me on sat with blood results they said - good news, it is just a miscarriage!
Well hope you have it as painless as possible and may it be quick too in order to allow to start healing your body and soul xx

[BulletProofMum]

I had an ectopic. Didn't know I was pd until intense pain and rupture. The tube was removed the following day. I spent one night in hospital and took two weeks off work. I ran a half marathon about two months later and was pregnant with dc3 about three months later. I was 38.

Good luck whatever the outcome

[Kneedeepinshittynappies]

Hi op, hope you're ok and sorry for your loss. I had ep in 2008, left tube removed with keyhole surgery. I took 3 weeks off work but really it was 2 for body 1 for mind and soul. Took me a while to get pg again but following ds in 2010, I went on to have dd exactly 4 years to the day after my surgery! Good luck, totally understand why you wish for mc, as morbid as that sounds.

[Bryzoan]

I had an ectopic diagnosed at 6 weeks just over 3 years ago. It was treated with methotrexate at st thomas' hosp in London. 2 injections, no overnight stay, quite a bit of pain and bleeding - bleeding lasted a month. I had a couple of weeks off work. I was devastated and very worried about future conception - I was 35. We now have a gorgeous daughter who has just turned 2 and I'm 24 wks pg with our second - so please don't give up hope. As you are early methotrexate would be a good option if offered - the 6 months will.go reasonably quickly - though it did feel an age to us till we conceived after (itches actually just 3 months). The ectopic pregnancy trust has lots of really great accurate info plus very helpful message boards. Big hugs and good luck. www.ectopic.org.uk/

[CrikeyOHare]

Hi Kat - just popped on to wish you lots of luck and love for today :) xxx

[Katnisscupcake]

Hi all,

I've been for the scan and they could see nothing in my uterus but they could see what looked like a cyst that you normally get in pregnancy that produces the progesterone, in my ovary.

They took some blood and said that if the levels had gone up, there was definitely a pg somewhere and they would take me in tomorrow for surgery as I said I didn't want the drugs.

Anyway they just called back with my results and the good news is that the hcg levels have dropped. Not massively but definitely dropped.

They said that they still can't rule out that its ectopic. But that it seems like it is resolving itself. My bloods were down to 365.

They said that I need to keep an eye on it and that if I start to feel unwell or I'm in pain, to go straight back. But the doctor I saw was happy with the result.

Thank you so much for all your support.

X

[PuffPants]

Hi Kat, I'm so pleased you're not in pain anyway. Glad you're getting some answers. Is the suggestion that it's a miscarriage then?

[RancerDoo]

Good, let's hope it resolves itself quickly.
Glad you're feeling ok.