TTC after ectopic Part 2

[DoctorBambino]

Looks like we need a new thread!
I've added everyone who has posted recently 😊

@Sammyclaire22 @that90sgirl @ActonBell @NigellasMicrowave @Kate105 @Hlump1980 @ScottishStardust @littleeggcup @MrsB2019x @Chica1990 @Mumlili9 @Ivybutterfly @yesitcould @BasalGanglia

How did it go yesterday @DoctorBambino? Super excited for you! 🤩

Sorry you find yourself here @Louise276, sounds like you have been through such an ordeal 😔 I never had my tubes checked after mine but there are a few ladies on here who went for a hycosy to check theirs which could be an option for you?

Thanks for checking in @MrsB2019x it went really well, embryo on board and 4 in the freezer with another 2 still potentially getting there (4 is plenty though haha!). Official test date is the 26th so not too long although already feels like forever!

Hi @Louise276 sorry you find yourself here it sounds like you have been through a lot but you seem very strong!

I had a hyfosy (same as a hycosy but with foam) which showed my other tube is open. The thing it can't show is if the tube is actually functional. I imagine yours are as you have had embryos make it to your uterus in the past. Its great that you conceive so quickly and like you say that's a great sign. I'd say it's definitely worth doing a hycosy just for more information.

I have just completed my first ivf cycle, had transfer yesterday! But I also have endometriosis and a shit ovary on my tube side. There are plenty of women here who have quickly gone on to have a successful pregnancy with only one tube! Best of luck to you whatever happens!

Oh wow, @DoctorBambino that’s amazing news. I’ve got everything crossed for you. I hope the next two weeks are as easy as they can be for you, it must feel like such a long time.

@Louise276 I went to see a private gynaecologist after mine who did a transvaginal scan and said the ectopic had resolved. I was offered a hycosy if I wanted it, but she pointed out that it can check if the tubes are open, it can’t check whether they are functioning as they ought to be. So she recommended I wait my three months, keep trying and if nothing is happening in six months, come back. The six months is more about my anxiety, as she said a year TTC is what she’d usually recommend.

@HereIfYouNeedMe so sweet of you to check in. I’m doing ok, still getting discomfort on the side of my ectopic before my period and during ovulation. I phoned the GP about it and a locum was pretty uninterested and told me not to worry! Otherwise, still finding the arrival of new babies very difficult and avoiding seeing friends with small babies - it’s still too triggering for me. I don’t like this part of me but I’m not sure that there’s any other way of handling it right now. I just really, really want a healthy pregnancy to help me move on from this experience.

@NigellasMicrowave you have to do what's best for you and look after your own well-being so it's good that you know your triggers. I'm pleased you have a plan of action so you have something to focus on! These future babies have some explaining to do, we don't have the patience for this!xx

@DoctorBambino

Thanks for checking in *@MrsB2019x* it went really well, embryo on board and 4 in the freezer with another 2 still potentially getting there (4 is plenty though haha!). Official test date is the 26th so not too long although already feels like forever!

This is so exciting!!! 10 days to go, they'll fly by! Do you have anything planned to distract yourself? Xx

@MrsB2019x @DoctorBambino @NigellasMicrowave

Thank you all for your replies!

I think we will wait until I have recovered and will look at whether a hycosy could be an option. Good point about it shows that they are clear but not whether they are functioning.

I clearly have functioning tubes - but what concerns me is that despite at the time I had both tubes, my right tube still moved over and picked up my most recent pregnancy from my left ovary. If the left tube was functioning ok - surely that would have just picked up the egg??? Maybe it is just a coincidence that this pregnancy my right tube picked up my left egg and in my previous pregnancies it has just been the corresponding tube that has done the work. I will never know!

In my head I had also decided that we give it a go at trying between now and December (6 months) and will then look at other options if we haven't caught by then.

@DoctorBambino - congrats on your 1st cycle! My fingers and toes are crossed for you? When do you get to test? Would you mind if I asked whether this was done under the NHS or whether you went privately?

I think I am recovering pretty well. Just managed a 10 minute walk there and back from our local cafe. Have also managed to brush my hair today so progress is being made - I just want to feel a bit more like me again.

Xx

Good luck with transfer today @coffeewithmilk

Thank you @DoctorBambino
Hope you're doing ok 💜

Good luck @coffeewithmilk!

@Louise276 glad to hear you are making a bit of progress, it takes time, but you will feel more like yourself.

Hey ladies hope everything is ok I took some time off but am now ready to come back... hycosy booked for July and my lovely consultant is doing another face fo face appointment once we get the results back... @Luan82 can I ask with regards to the castor packs when can I start them I have been cramping but no period yet?? Hope you're ok lovely.. xx

All went well with the transfer.
Now currently in the dreaded 2ww! I've added lots of shows to my list on Netflix to get me through the next 2 weeks! x

Excellent news @coffeewithmilk! Rest up, lots of distractions. I’ve got everything crossed for you.

@Sweetbabydust1989 I tend to use mine just after my period and before ovulation - they say you shouldn't really use them after ovulation due to the heat and during a period as can encourage blood flow to the pelvic area hope that helps !! Glad ur doing ok ❤️xx

@coffeewithmilk @DoctorBambino wish you all the luck in the world with your transfers ladies - I'm thinking of you and rooting for you both!! ❤️❤️❤️🌈🙏🏼xx

@Louise276 so sorry you find yourself here lovely but you sound like you are in a better place and surrounding yourself with ladies who have been through the same thing really helps - they are a lovely bunch ❤️x

@Luan82 thanks hun how are you?? I am doing aswell as I can be I wanted to do one tomorrow but worried incase I come on xx

@Sweetbabydust1989 I'm doing ok thanks honey I'm on the last natural cycle in middle of the 2WW atm really not putting pressure on myself this time after either a chemical pregnancy or false positive last month - as whatever will be will be and after so long ttc (will be 12 months after the ectopic in June) I've made peace with the fact I probably need help, meds delivered on Wednesday 🌈🙏🏼xx

@Luan82 oh wow sorry to hear about your chemical hun bloody awful!!! When do you think you will start the ivf journey?? I did my first castor pack today it was so relaxing I actually fell asleep luckily I set an alarm I did it for a full hour hoping I might get some benefit out of it really scared for my hycosy I am so use to bad news so kinda think this will be I have a month to do these packs hope it makes a difference xx

@Sweetbabydust1989 I start day one of my cycle so in approx ten days !!!! Eeeeeek! So exciting. Aren't the castor oil packs amaze? My acupuncturist swears by them, I genuinely think they help with scar tissue - I felt the same way about my HyCoSy I was terrified both tubes would be completely blocked especially considering ovulating is painful for me / and so relieved to find they weren't I burst into tears when they injected the dye !! xx

@Luan82 omg that's well exciting just think there could be a baby in your soon!!!! They are too relaxing I am going to try and aim to do them as often as I can I honestly think my right tube has a little blockage and god knows with the left not even sure that is even in there 🙈 never felt so scared in my life for this test it's more scarier than any other test I have done.. do they keep the horrible plastic inside the whole time... I have had loads of internals now and they always say my ovaries and womb look good. How do you actually no these packs are working xx

Welcome back @Sweetbabydust1989, was thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on. Glad a little break helped.

We're on month 3 TTC after ectopic and break now, trying SMEM this month, we'll see how it goes. Last months BFN was a lot easier than the first. I'm coming to terms with this potentially being a while off. But I'm in a good place and enjoying life.

Hi everyone. So sorry for everything you've been through but as I'm joining the ectopic club I'm really grateful to you all for sharing your experiences. I hope you don't mind me jumping onto the thread.

Here's my story: I'm 38 ttc #1. In April I was diagnosed with a PUL, mmc at 6+5 (foetus probably died at 5 weeks, so v. early), which was straightforward as far as these things go. I didn't wait for my period and we conceived again straight away. I'm currently about 5+5 and was diagnosed with an ectopic yesterday after bleeding and some moderate cramps on my left-side, plus thigh pain.

The EPU have chosen to manage it naturally but I'm right on the cusp of whether that's a good idea. Last Friday I had bloods done and hcg was 74, and this past Friday hcg was almost 1000. So, clearly it's still doubling. On Monday I'll have bloods taken and we'll make a decision about how to proceed. I'm expecting I'll have to have the methotrexate injection, though I'm hopeful my bleeding will have slowed or stopped the rising hcg.

I had to fight to be scanned. I've felt that something was wrong for about a week and a half, but on Friday when the pain intensified and I started to bleed I went to A&E. They were useless, but at least they took bloods which caused EPU to scan me the next morning. Previously they were planning to get me in sometime in early June, despite my low hcg levels and complaint about unilateral pain. Imagine if I'd just gone along with that? I know it was too early to scan me when my levels were 74, but they should've agreed to do repeat bloods based on my pain and my recent history of miscarriage. I'm annoyed by it, and by how many women who don't know to fight must fall through the cracks and end up losing a tube or worse.

My partner and I are a bit numb about the whole thing. I've been managing my expectations of this pregnancy because of the last one, and neither of us allowed ourselves to get too excited. But, it's the last chance for me to give birth while I'm still 38 and I feel so conflicted about my fertility declining as I age and being an older mum. I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects (my partner and I caught on our first and second cycles trying, so we're really fertile together) but it's tough.

Sorry this was such an essay. It helps me to process to write things down.

I guess I'm wondering whether I should push for methotrexate on Monday if the levels have risen but not by much? I don't know what to do for the best, or what's going to get us back on track with ttc safely in the least amount of time.

@weathervane123 Firstly, I’m so, so sorry. It’s a horrible shock to know that you are losing a pregnancy and that it is an ectopic. It takes time to recover physically, and time to process, emotionally. You are very much still in the thick of it all and it may not all feel real for a while yet.

I’m surprised you’ve not been offered medical management of the pregnancy already, to be honest. I would suspect that you may well be offered methotrexate after the weekend. There is still a risk of rupture, as I’m sure you know, so it is important to be very, very gentle with yourself. If you can stay in, or close to bed, all the better. The NICE guidelines are very informative, and it gives you something to point to if the hospital doesn’t proceed as you expect: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng126/chapter/Recommendations#management-of-tubal-ectopic-pregnancy

I can understand how you feel re. your age, but I would try, if you can, not to focus on that right now. Most of my friends have been nearer 40 when they’ve had their first kid. At a hospital one of my friends gave birth at, the average age of the mother is 40. It’s really, really common to be in your late thirties to have a first baby.

The three month wait after methotrexate can feel tortuous, but it does force you to focus on the body’s recovery and wait for a bit to heal, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

OP, I really hope you are able to rest this evening and tomorrow. Do let us know if you have any questions.

@NigellasMicrowave Thank you so much for getting back to me and for your kind words of reassurance.

I think the EPU decided to go with expectant management because the mass is small, I had begun bleeding vaginally and there was no 'free fluid' or intrauterine bleeding, and my pain wasn't significant. It was a risk but I do understand why they've chosen it and it does fall within the NICE guidelines.

I have my fingers crossed that I can pass this on my own because I'm not thrilled by the prospect of methotrexate in my system. I'm likely to want to avoid trying for much longer than the 3 recommended months just to reassure myself that the drug will have really worked its way out of my system and won't harm the foetus if I do get pregnant again. I've seen some places recommend 3-6 months. At 38 (39 in Feb), I feel like I don't have that kind of time really.