Pregnancy of unknown location

[happyoptimism]

Very long story so please bear with me..

First positive test on 28/1 on a cheapie. Waited a few days to make sure as still very early and retested, much stronger line on what would be 5 weeks exactly. Next morning i started having spotting and red blood when wiping, although I had this with my first (successful) pregnancy so wasn't too worried I booked a GP appointment who referred me to EPU for scan and blood tests on Thursday 8th when I would be 6 weeks.

HCG blood results came back at 1949 but nothing showing in uterus apart from small patch of fluid but not a true sac. Found lots of cysts on both ovaries and lots of free fluid in pelvis. Told possible ectopic if my dates are correct and they would repeat bloods on Saturday 10th.

Starting to get cramps and pain on right hand side on Thursday night which gets more severe through Friday.

Go in to EPU on Saturday for bloods to be taken, Told to go home after and they'll call with results. Half an hour later I'm called back as hcg level is 4000+ so should definitely be able to see a pregnancy. By this time pain on left hand side pretty severe so I'm admitted to Surgical assessment unit with suspected ectopic.

No scan available on Saturday evening so spend the night dosed up on morphine to get through til morning.

They repeated the scan yesterday (Sunday) morning, still no visible pregnancy in womb and same findings as scan on Thursday. They decide as I'm in pain to do a laparoscopy expecting to find an ectopic and I was told they would probably remove the tube and possibly ovary if it's causing the problem.

Long story short they found no pregnancy in the uterus or in the tube but did remove some cysts on ovary which has relieved the severe pain. so I'm now in hospital recovering and waiting for more blood tests for HCG levels to be taken in the morning.

Where could the pregnancy be? I know it's not going to be viable as it's not in the uterus so have sort of accepted that I have miscarried but not being able to locate it after surgery is really concerning me. Does anyone know what they may plan to do? Will my body miscarry on its own eventually? How would that even work if it's not in my uterus? After a traumatic weekend I am wondering if there's any way to hurry the process up in any way? I don't feel strong enough emotionally for this to end up more drawn out.

Thanks for reading. I know it's long winded and a really strange situation but has been helpful just to write it down. X

Oh op I’m sorry this is happening to you. Have they mentioned methotrexate to you? I had a suspected ectopic/pregnancy of unknown location. Mine resolved on its own and after a few days I started to bleed but it looked like I was going to have to take the methotrexate.

Thanks so much for your reply. Sorry to hear you had one too. They haven't mentioned giving methotrexate but I've read about it quite a bit overnight. Trying to avoid Dr Google but I have so many questions!

I know but it’s understandable to want to know what’s going on. It was all just a bit of a shock to me when it happened and I was relieved when it was all over. Hopefully they will have a plan for you when you get your hcg results back today. I would think they will probably mention the methotrexate.

Thank you so much for your reassurance. It is a worrying time, probably not made better by a sleepless night. Hopefully will have some answers soon enough.

I'm sorry you have got all the uncertainty and worry at the moment.

The ectopic pregnancy trust is full of information and others who have undergone ectopic or suspected ectopic pregnancies. They might provide some answers.

If hgc doesn't start falling soon, I suspect methotrexate too, but the doubling of hcg in 48 hours is indicative of an active pregnancy.

Hi

I'm sorry to read that you are going through this.

I went through the same in September 2017. The waiting and not knowing was the worst. The midwives were great but it was all very medical and I felt like I had no control over it all.

I was administered Methotrexate a week after I had a scan at six weeks. My HCG continued to rise despite them not finding anything. It took a few days for my body to 'miscarry' and I had to go back to the hospital every few days for a number of weeks until my HCG was zero - not pregnant.

It was quite traumatic and it's so sad that others have to go through this. I'm here for advice if you need anything. But my best advice is stay away from google, give yourself time and space (if you can!) and try and talk to friends and family x

I had similar findings with my early scans (at 6, 7, then 8 weeks), initially there was just fluid and then a yolk sac which they diagnosed as miscarriage. In the final scans they found cystic growth alongside a small embryo which they now suspect may be a partial molar pregnancy. I wanted to wait for a natural miscarriage or go for medical but given the risks of molar had to go for surgical management. My HCG levels were at 25000 a week and a half ago. Not sure if this helps at all, not that many people know that molar pregnancy exists as it is rare. Might be worth looking into if they are still unsure, with surgical management they can conduct histology to see whether it was molar.
So sorry for what you are going through, I had my d&c on Friday and if it helps I can say it was physically quite easy. I still have severe cramping but I suspect it is less intense than that of natural miscarriage.
Hope you get your answers soon X

Sorry forgot to say that my miscarriage was also labelled 'pregnancy of unknown location'.