Ectopic in c section scar

[Esnjim]

I've found out today via scan that my baby has a heartbeat and measuring well but growing in my c section scar. It's the rarest form of ectopic pregancy and is life threatening. I need to have surgery next week to remove. Emotionally I'm a mess. But if anyone has had this and the surgery i could really do with hearing those stories. How it went, recovery etc.
That would be helpful to me. Thanks in advance

Hey OP, I haven’t had an ectopic the same as you but I did have an ectopic pregnancy growing in my left fallopian tube and had surgery for this last year. It was really scary of course to find out what was happening and how much of a risk the pregnancy is but the procedure is really quick and you’re in and out and in recovery in no time. Recovery can be slow as with me they needed to do 3 incisions (belly button, left and right) but they gave me codine and laxatives which helped a lot. It took me about 4-6 weeks to recover. I’m really sorry this is happening to you but if you have any questions I’ll answer them as best I can for you x

Thank you @NotALotGoingOnAtTheMoment I really appreciate the reply. Sadly I also had one in my fallopian tube back in 2011. I lost my tube at that time too. I've always worried it would happen again, never expected it to happen in my scar. I think the surgery is different this time around and so I don't know what to expect.
I'm really sorry for your loss xx

I’m so sorry this is happening to you again. I hope someone sees this who has been through this before and can help you know what to expect. I’ll be thinking of you xx

Thank you xx

Hi there I also had a c section scar ectopic pregnancy. I went back for a checkup on my c section scar and I have a gap where the embryo will be attracted to and its called a “niche” it’s basically that my section scar hasn't healed the way it's supposed to and has left a gap and this is where the baby was going to grow but I had the miscarriage quite early on. I think its quite rare but thought id reply as I cant find anything about it anywhere. I hope you are ok from your loss and get pregnant again very soon xoxo

@Esnjim I'm so sorry I missed this in august when you posted - I know it's too late to reassure you now but I'll tell my story in case anyone else finds it when searching for anything C-section scar ectopic related. I know I searched on here and there wasn't anything.

It was found in feb at 6 weeks pregnant, I'd had some dark brown bleeding and because of previous miscarriages I was scanned early although I had no pain. I was told (like you) how dangerous it is and rare and that they needed me to come back for a rescan with a consultant to be sure. When rescanned I was told baby had a heartbeat but the sac was completely over the section scar. I was given the choice of methotrexate or surgery to terminate the pregnancy. I was an absolute mess, by the time a decision was made the heartbeat had gone and I was advised to have methotrexate as my hcg levels had got to 140,000 and they were concerned about the risk of bleeding in surgery. I had 2 doses of methotrexate as it didn't reduce the size or collapse the sac but it did reduce the hcg. I was taken for surgery in the end at what would have been 11 weeks preg and it was a complete success. No bleeding in surgery and no retained products.
I was monitored for another 10 weeks post surgery until my hcg went to zero and the hole in the scar where the sac had been had gone.

I'm now 14 weeks pregnant again with a baby in the right place so the methotrexate and surgery didn't harm me in anyway - I got pregnant 5 months post surgery

I hope you are ok and have recovered well x

I had an ectopic that ruptured. It was in a not quite the same as this, but I almost died from blood loss.
I just wanted to say to anyone reading that all ectopic pregnancies could be life threatening, so if you suspect you may have one please get checked out ASAP.

I hope you are doing OK now OP.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me, and congratulations on your pregnancy. That's great news.

Do you mind me asking what country you are in? I'm in the UK. I haven't had any monitoring at all. While still hospital I was advised not to try again. I was still very much in a haze at the time and so requested a follow up with my consultant. I have a telephone appt with her this Friday to go over everything and see if she gives the same advice not to try again. Its been such an isolating and confusing experience. I really appreciate your reply. Thank you

I also had an ectopic that ruptured a few years ago. I wasn't trying to take away from other ectopics.

@MrsC2018 Thank you for sharing, im so happy to hear you got pregnant again and the baby was in the right place. Did you get an early scan? Its hard to find any information or success stories about c section scar eptopic pregnancies anywhere!

@Esnjim I'm really surprised you've not got any monitoring, perhaps my team were over cautious? Im in Manchester. The surgery was early March in the end, and I had weekly blood tests until the hcg was less than 5 and weekly scans as well to check the scar until early April and then two weekly until I was finally discharge from them mid May.

The advice not to try again for 6 months post surgery was from the scar ectopic consultant, and the advice to leave it a year came from the debrief of my last second trimester loss which was also mid May so at that time I had 2 obstetric consultants. I didn't say before but I had 2 second trimester losses prior to the section scar ectopic.
I don't think I had any different treatment from the other miscarriages though, the team were very much focussed on the ectopic. In terms of diagnostics for the scar ectopic, I had 2 scans with the consultant obstetrician and an MRI to confirm that the pregnancy wasn't viable and was absolutely on my scar - at that point the baby had a heartbeat so perhaps they were reassuring me that I wouldn't be able to keep baby?

@Teenar yes I did, whilst still being treated for the scar ectopic I was told if I chose to have another baby to call them and they would do a scan to check the location of baby. I had a scan at 5 weeks to confirm in the correct place this time.

It's so isolating and really scary, that's why when I saw I'd missed this in august I'd still share my story in case it helps someone else in time. I couldn't fine anything and I searched for weeks. I was spending hours reading obscure research papers!! The terror of going in for surgery knowing they had prepped me for a hysterectomy in case of the blood loss was awful. I've not completed my family, and it was just such a lonely place.

Ask any questions, I hope you we all get the babies we want xx

@MrsC2018 oh my goodness, I'm so sorry for your loses but unbelievably I also had 2 second trimester loses prior to my c section ectopic, one was due to a subchorionic hematoma and one is unknown but possibly an infection (and a tubal ectopic before that) I wondered if that was the reason I had been told not to try again aswell with my history.
The appt I have tomorrow to go over everything is actually the consultant from my previous losses, I feel like I can't let go until I hear the information from her as I feel she knows me and body better.
With this ectopic I had 2 scans to confirm. But the day I made the original post I actually began to haemorrhage that night and so was taken in (potentially another reason they have said not to try again?) After about 6 hours the bleeding stopped, had my second scan which confirmed at this point the heartbeat had stopped, but still in scar, and I had the surgery the next day. As you say, going into the surgery not knowing what I would wake up to was awful. But I still have my womb and the surgery went well. They told me I was very lucky and it's time to stop trying and that the liklihood of it happening again now that is has happened once was high and next time I might not be so lucky. I might request a scan to look at the scar? I had no monitoring afterwards at all. I haven't had a scan since before the surgery and was only told to take a pregnancy test 3 weeks later to confirm negative, which it was.

@MrsC2018@Esnjim thank you so much for sharing your story, I am so so sorry for all the losses you have had, that would be so hard. My consultant didnt say not to try again. But she did say it could happen again and it’s basically a lottery! I want to try again but will just have to wait and see I suppose. Thank you again and congratulations on your pregnancy! Youve been though alot! Xoxo

Oh wow @Esnjim how are there 2 of us with this history this year 🤷‍♀️

I can't believe you've been told not to try again, I've never been told that and I literally exactly asked that in my last debrief in May. My consultant was very careful to say that it's my choice and they will support me either way. There is a slight increase in the likelihood of any ectopic happening again once it's happened but it seems extreme for you to be told not to try again.
The reasons for my losses are unknown as well. Both at 16 weeks, all testing on me and the post mortems found no cause. My losses have been back to back with very little time in between, the first was April 2022, second Oct 2022 and then the ectopic was found in Feb 2023. So I've not really given myself a break. I'm 16 weeks on Saturday so just praying I can get this one through this awful trimester.

I was given an early scan to check the location at 5 weeks - baby had a heartbeat at that point so I think I was closer to 6 weeks but from that appointment I was started on aspirin 150mg, cyclogest and clexane. Those meds due to the losses rather than the ectopic. I'm also having an early anomaly scan with my consultant next week and then if all is well then they will check again at 20 weeks with another anomaly scan and also check the blood flow/pressure through the placenta. Then extra scans at 24/28/32 weeks and a planned c-section at 37 weeks so the scar isn't put under any pressure with the baby getting bigger and potentially going into labour.

I hope your meeting goes well tomorrow and you're at peace with whatever you decide from that xx

Hey everyone,

Currently going through this! 😥

Had a missed miscarriage last July, then a ruptured ectopic in August resulting in my right tube being removed. Was VERY shocked when I didn't come on in Nov and did a test and it came up positive instantly.
Had an early scan at my EPU last Monday at 6 weeks, Inwas told I'm measuring about 5 weeks and can only see gestational sac, no yolk sac or fetal poll. I then start spotting light pink jelly like stuff.
Had another scan on monday (going off last period) would be 7 weeks. Baby had heartbeat, but was showing at 6 weeks not 7. The sonographer thought it looked like the baby is quite low down and implanted in my c-section scar. But then on second look she doesn't think it is and she can see a layer between my scar and the sac.
I then have been spotting heavier, a mix of pink brown and red (at different times) since tuesday. Along with cramping.

I rang my EPU back and have a scan with a consultant to check the baby's location.

1. After reading online even if the baby isn't attached directly to my scan it still isn't good to be that low down.
2. I have been spotting for 9 days straight now, which I never had in my healthy pregnancy with my son - nor cramps.
3. I think I have PTSD from my ruptured ectopic as it was handled so poorly - if I get stomach pains in the night I instantly think I'm going to die and I'm bleeding out just like last time. So I refuse to go back to sleep incase I die.

I'm just really petrified - I can't explain it.
In my head, I've lost this baby & I don't think we will try again naturally after this because I can't put my husband or me through this again. Which does break my heart. But we are extremely lucky to have our son.

5 pregnancies so far and potentially only 1 beautiful, healthy baby 💔

Hope you're all doing okay. I just needed to talk I think and let it out xxx

Sorry to jump on.. I had an ectopic on my c section scar In October and had methotrexate in November.. they did a few blood tests after to make sure my HCG was dropping and it did thankfully.. but now nearly 3 months later I’ve been getting pains in my scar again and I’m wondering if it’s related?