Ectopic recovery time?

Throwawy · 2023-06-24T11:02:22+00:00

I've just been told I potentially have an ectopic pregnancy. Can anyone here who has been treated with tube removal or methotrexate tell me how long it took before they were able to work (from home) again? I have a little one too that I can get hubby and his family to help with, so also wondering how long until you felt able to look after a toddler?

MrsRigmarole · 24/06/2023 12:22

Sorry for your loss, OP. I had an ectopic followed by a salpingectomy (one tube removed) in 2019. I was OK physically after about 3 weeks. I didn't have any other kids then but it would have been very tough looking after a toddler for those three weeks, and impossible for the first week or so. It affects your ability to bend down and lift stuff so you want to be careful. I think I went back to work (desk job) after 4 weeks which was fine. But everyone heals at different rates so I'd suggest being cautious, if you can.

Having said that, having a salpingectomy was definitely the right choice for me. I was worried about losing a tube but I was told that the ectopic buggers it up anyway, so it's not like the drug option leaves you in a better state. It also doesn't have such a severe effect on fertility as you might think (I've got 2 kids now!). We wanted to start trying again promptly after the ectopic and I was put off by the fact you have to wait 6 months with the drug treatment option.

Hope that helps!

Naomi2023 · 27/06/2023 11:44

Hi op, I had an ectopic pregnancy earlier this year and was treated with methotrexate. It made me feel a little unwell for maybe a week at the most but nothing major. Mostly tiredness and nauseous and I also caught the sun extremely easily on my face on a day that wasn't really hot or sunny, but that side effect doesn't last long.

The wait for ttc after methotrexate is 3 months with one or 2 injections as you have to rebuild folic acid back up.
If your looking at wanting to get back to work as soon as you can and the worry of taking care of your child then I would think about going with the methotrexate injection as it is the fastest recovery time option and neither surgery or mtx has any more impact on fertility really. I think I was told surgery lessons fertility about 10% but doesn't usually cause a problem x

LavenderSweetPea · 27/06/2023 12:16

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time with your pregnancy :( I had an ectopic in January, and was treated with methotrexate (after expectant management didn't go the way we wanted). I didn't have any symptoms from it apart from obviously bleeding and cramping, but it was no different really to a heavy period. I WFH and didn't miss any work following the treatment (I could have done, I told my boss what was going on and she was very understanding and told me to take time if I needed it, but I prefered to have the distraction as emotionally I was all over the place).

As @Naomi2023 said you have to wait 3 months before ttc, but I found the break was just as important for me as an emotional healer. I am now 7w pregnant (not ectopic)

Original poster

Throwawy · 03/07/2023 21:53

LavenderSweetPea · 27/06/2023 12:16

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time with your pregnancy :( I had an ectopic in January, and was treated with methotrexate (after expectant management didn't go the way we wanted). I didn't have any symptoms from it apart from obviously bleeding and cramping, but it was no different really to a heavy period. I WFH and didn't miss any work following the treatment (I could have done, I told my boss what was going on and she was very understanding and told me to take time if I needed it, but I prefered to have the distraction as emotionally I was all over the place).

As @Naomi2023 said you have to wait 3 months before ttc, but I found the break was just as important for me as an emotional healer. I am now 7w pregnant (not ectopic)

Out of interest, how come expectant management didn't go well?

This is the route I'm currently following as HCG went 2000>1500>1300>900 (48 hrs apart), I'm now on bloods once a week. Drs have said it looks like it's resolving in its own so don't need any intervention but to still watch for signs of rupture which I'm terrified of. I'm meant to be working in the office tomorrow (an hour away), and tempted to stay home out of fear it might rupture there.

OP posts:

LavenderSweetPea · 03/07/2023 22:13

@Throwawy expectant management didn't work out because my hcgs weren't falling and it looked like the ectopic was still growing and so they wouldn't continue with the chance of a rupture. If yours are consistently falling though I imagine the chance of anything going wrong now are terribly low, I don't think there should be a risk for you to go into the office but whether or not you actually want to with everything going on is another matter entirely. Sorry to be graphic but once I had the methotrexate my HCG plummeted, and I only then started to actually bleed properly and it was quite heavy, not sure I would have wanted to be anywhere apart from home when that started happening :(