Ectopic?

[ShampooForMyRealFriends]

Hello and sorry in advance for TMI!

My husband and I have been TTC for a while now. Last month, I had a very weird cycle - a day or two before I was due on my period, I started spotting, but it was not normal pre-period spotting. It was more watery and brownish? I thought it might be implantation bleeding (although a bit late). Around the same time, I started having a very strong sense of smell, the feeling of a lump in my throat (kind of nauseous I suppose) and a weird kind of pressure in my pelvis, mostly on the left side and feeling like something was pressing from the inside out rather than the outside in (i.e. unlike what period cramps usually feel like to me).

I waited a couple of days until the day after I was due on, and tested and got a BFN. A day or so after that I started what was more like a light period (red blood), but that only lasted for two days (normal period would be about 4). After that, I continued to spot on and off for a few days. Altogether, I was bleeding or spotting for 11 days - way longer than a normal period. I still had the sense of smell, lump in throat and pelvic pressure, so tested again about a week after the heavier bleeding and got a BFN, so figured it was just a weird period plus my mind playing tricks on me.

After that, the lump in throat went away and I either got used to the sense of smell or that went away too, but the pelvic pressure is still there. This month, I was supposed to have a phone consult with a fertility clinic a couple of days after I was due on. I tested the day before the consult and got a BFP!!! Very strong, clear lines.

Obviously very excited, but now I'm worried that it might actually be ectopic, with the weird bleeding last month and ongoing pressure in my pelvis, and that I'm therefore 8+ weeks rather than 4. I know I should go and see a doctor, but I'm not in the UK and it's very hard to get appointments here, plus I don't really speak the local language. I'm not due for a booking-in appointment at my local birthing centre for another two weeks.

So (and thank you for making it this far), I'm wondering if anyone else had a similar situation that turned out to be ectopic? Or does ectopic bleeding tend not to go away once it's started? Did you experience real pain, or more pressure? Please tell me your experiences!

I would say by 8+ weeks, you'd have some kind of symptoms of an ectopic by now.
It sounds like you possibly had a chemical pregnancy and have fallen pregnant again

Thanks for your response!

I'm thinking the pressure might also be some kind of cyst, but I guess that is less urgent and can probably wait until my appointment

I had very similar thing happen in which I thought I was having my period and not pregnant. However my period was brown and watery which got heavier and then started bleeding. Not heavy, just bleeding but it was just a weird consistency. I took a pregnancy test and it was obviously positive. I was around 6-7 weeks and thought I was just having a chemical pregnancy /miscarriage. I rang my early pregnancy unit who got me in for a scan and they confirmed I was having an ectopic pregnancy. I had ZERO pain apart from a bit of ‘period’ cramping.
Please get seen at your early pregnancy unit as soon as you can.

Thanks @Ellie1311 - I definitely would rather be safe than sorry!!

Just an update in case anyone else is reading. I ended up calling the equivalent of the NHS 111 line, who sent me to a clinic to get checked out, but the clinic said they wouldn't be able to see me for a month and that I should go to the emergency room instead 😕 This felt like a bit of an overreaction, but at the same time I was a bit worried.

I went, and after an 8 hour wait (did I say that appointments are hard to get here?) had a blood test confirming hCG levels of 2000 and an ultrasound where the doctor couldn't see anything whatsoever. In short, no real answer although I guess the hCG levels suggest 4 weeks rather than 8. The doctor said the discomfort was likely muscular, which seems a bit odd given that it's been a month.

The doctor wasn't overly concerned and said that I should come back if the pain/discomfort got stronger or if there was any bleeding at all. Hopefully I will be booked in at the birthing centre soon and will be able to contact them with this kind of thing!

I was told that at hcg level 2000 you should be able to see something in the womb. The fact that they can’t see anything is worrying, however that level is borderline so I guess it’s hard and may need another week or so. At the very least I would ring your early pregnancy unit and demand they scan you in a week/2 weeks time. Shoulder tip pain is also another sign of ectopic, although I never had that with mine. Whereabouts are you?

They couldn't see anything because my bladder was empty - no one thought to tell me during the two hours I was sitting there with my pants off that I shouldn't use the loo!

I think I'm only 4+6, so it doesn't seem unreasonable not to be able to see anything in such less than ideal circumstances. I will definitely ask for a scan from the birthing centre when I talk to them in two weeks' time. It's not clear to me why I couldn't get a scan at the local clinic, but as I say, I don't speak the language very well. I'll also keep an eye on any bleeding and/or further pain.

I'd rather not say where I am, but it's nominally a developed country - it's just that GP services are heavily oversubscribed and walk-in clinics and A&E have to deal with the overflow! I was actually impressed that everyone I dealt with took my concerns quite seriously, which has not always been my experience in the UK.

Thanks again for your help

I conceived around March 10th. My hcg on 26 March was 240. I had spotting with cramps and my hcg dropped to 140. Drs assumed ectopic or miscarriage. 1st April my hcg went up to 450. I have a scan on Apr 5. Anyone experience fall n rise of hcg. It's driving me mad. When they scanned me they said my womb lining is thick and corpus producing hcg. Maybe I'm too early to see gestational sac. My confusion is the rise n fall. They checked for ectopic and ruled it out atm. Please help