2 or more ectopics - were your symptoms the same each time?

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1

Hi all,

Just a quick question to those women who have been through two or more ectopic pregnancies.

I wanted to ask if your symptoms were ‘typical’ or similar each time to make you believe the same thing was happening to you again.

I ask because I am approx 6 weeks pregnant, and have had around 2 days of heavy bright red bleeding and stomach upset (loose bm). I’ve also had random mild period type pain.

With my last ectopic I had the classic watery prune juice bleeding but had no pain. I also had the loose bowel movements at this point too. It was managed with methotrexate and resolved in 3 weeks.

This is now my second pregnancy, and although my symptoms are somewhat different from last time, I can’t help but worry that I’ve got another ectopic! My scan isn’t until next week but obviously I’m going crazy in the meantime.

Any experiences would be greatly received, thank you! xx

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I would like to know as well.

I’m about 5 weeks I’m having off/on pressure / slight pain on my ectopic side. No bleeding. I feel like this is another ectopic although my blood work has been looking good.

With my ectopic I had spotting the day I got bfp. Spotting turned into a week of bleeding. About 1 week after bfp I stared getting excruciating pain that only lasted for about 30 mins . Also had pain in rectum gas like pain. I was still bleeding. When I went back after symptoms bloodwork showed doubled but that was over a week after first hcg. I was treated with methotrexate.

With this pregnancy i ovulated from my ectopic side now I feel like this is another ectopic.

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Hi ladies.

I’ve had two ectopic and both tubes removed.

My first ectopic was at 6 weeks. I had bleeding. I had a period for about 6 days and shoulder tip pain.

I had my second ectopic 4 weeks ago and it was very different. I was 5 weeks pregnant and I knew it was another ectopic. I had horrendous rectal pain. Like really bad wind pain. I couldn’t sit down or walk. I also had shoulder tip pain and a lot of vomiting.

Second time around I was aware of my symptoms. I went to a and e and had a early scan and I knew what was going to happen. There was a lot of blood in my abdomen and that was causing the horrendous wind pain.

If you are worried go for an early scan. Don’t be in doubt. You know your own body.

On a positive note… you will get pregnant. Three months after I had my first ectopic I fell pregnant and I now have a beautiful two year old son. Xx

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ooncb:
Hi ladies.

I’ve had two ectopic and both tubes removed.

My first ectopic was at 6 weeks. I had bleeding. I had a period for about 6 days and shoulder tip pain.

I had my second ectopic 4 weeks ago and it was very different. I was 5 weeks pregnant and I knew it was another ectopic. I had horrendous rectal pain. Like really bad wind pain. I couldn’t sit down or walk. I also had shoulder tip pain and a lot of vomiting.

Second time around I was aware of my symptoms. I went to a and e and had a early scan and I knew what was going to happen. There was a lot of blood in my abdomen and that was causing the horrendous wind pain.

If you are worried go for an early scan. Don’t be in doubt. You know your own body.

On a positive note… you will get pregnant. Three months after I had my first ectopic I fell pregnant and I now have a beautiful two year old son. Xx

Hi,

Thank you for your response, it’s much appreciated. My ectopic last year was initially diagnosed as a Pregnancy of Unknown Location until they spotted an ‘adnexal mass’ in my right tube. I did have the typical watery bleeding.

However this time I had a bright red bleed, which only lasted 3 days. It’s stopped and now I have a very pale brown/tan discharge. I didn’t get much pain last time and I don’t have any this time either. I also took a pregnancy test after this bleeding which is was positive. I don’t think its miscarriage personally but you never know.

My early pregnancy unit refused to see me, until I’m at least 7 weeks which is next week. So until then I’m worrying about any twinge and niggle.

Not sure if women who’ve had an ectopic have experienced bright red bleeds that stop after a few days?? xx

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Dear Amber92,

Whispered congratulations on your pregnancy,

After an ectopic pregnancy, finding we are pregnant again can be a mix of emotions and I can completely understand your feeling nervous. It is perfectly normal to feel scared after the ordeal you have endured. I also felt twinges and aches after my ectopic pregnancy, particularly when I next felt pregnant. My mind started racing and I was only really able to relax to some degree after my early scan. It is a nerve-wracking time and you have friends here who understand how you are feeling.

Having said that, whilst I do not wish to alarm you, I wouldn’t rely on having the same experiences with ectopic pregnancies and as you are experiencing bleeding, change in bowel habit and abdominal pain, I would advise seeking urgent medical advice. As it is out of hours, I would recommend calling NHS 111 to discuss your symptoms. If you begin to feel dizzy and unwell and experience worsening abdominal pain, I would advise going straight to your local A&E, just to be on the safe side.

Sending much love and positive thoughts

Karen x

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Hi all

I’ve had two ectopic pregnancies. The first ruptured my left tube at 8 weeks pregnant, and the second was on the fibrial end of my right tube. Both ectopics were incredibly different, with very different symptoms.

With the first one I started to bleed heavily at 5 weeks pregnant. I’d previously had a miscarriage at 5 weeks, and to be honest the symptoms were really similar (sorry, I don’t mean to scare people). I saw my GP and he said the bleeding pointed to a ‘textbook’ miscarriage. After a couple of days the bleeding lessened into light, watery brown spotting. But it continued for another two weeks. I kept doing pregnancy tests which continued to come back positive. I just knew something was wrong, I saw three different GPs who kept insisting that I’d miscarried, but my hormones were just taking a while to come down. I had no pain at all. Then at 8 weeks pregnant I started to get a niggling pain on the left. I requested a scan at my EPU which was refused.

The pain suddenly worsened, and I had a sudden rush of very heavy bleeding. I went to A&E, where I had a scan. It was inconclusive, but my hcg was 142, then 154 after 48 hrs, then 162 (apparently this is v low for an ectopic at 8 weeks). I was in hospital for 4 days whilst I waited for a diagnosis, and my pain had pretty much gone away. Finally a consultant scanned me and saw the ectopic straight away. I was rushed to theatre for emergency surgery, and my tube had ruptured. Apparently the bleeding had made it stick to my bowel and intestine which stopped it bleeding too much, so I only lost 500mls of blood.

My second ectopic was completely different. I had pain on the right from just over 3 weeks pregnant (so before I had my bfp). I insisted my GP gave me serial hcg bloods, but my hcg was more than doubling every 48hrs (which apparently is v unusual for an ectopic), and I had no bleeding at all. But the pain continued to get worse and I was admitted to hospital. I was there a week whilst waiting for a diagnosis. The consultants were insisting that because my hcg was doubling that it wasn’t ectopic. But again I absolutely knew that it was. Scans couldn’t see anything, except a small mass on the right but they thought it was an ovarian cyst. Very long story short, I had an exploratory laparoscopy which found an aborted ectopic on my right tube. They were able to remove it without removing or cutting into the tube, although - devastatingly - they left some behind and I needed a follow up shot of methotrexate.

This is a bit of a ramble, but my point is that you cannot rely on symptoms alone. If you suspect an ectopic you need to be so insistent and demand they scan you as early as possible. 7 weeks sounds like quite a long time to wait… I think they should be able to see an inter uterine pregnancy by 6 weeks…

I’m sorry I don’t mean to scare you. There’s a 10% risk of another ectopic, and I have everything crossed that you are in that 90%.

Xxx

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I would also just chip in that my HCG numbers doubled just as they should in a normal pregnancy when I had my ectopic 1 week ago. Hope the best for you XX

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Hi,

Original poster here, just thought I’d update that I have indeed had an ectopic pregnancy, in my right tube again.

I was given the option of tube removal or methotrexate but was heavily discouraged against having the surgery as it would significantly impact my fertility. However as the ectopic has occurred twice in the same tube, it is clear to me that the tube is clearly damaged and is not working as it should anyway.

I have been given methotrexate and due to go back for my day 4 bloods tomorrow.

I’m unsure of what the future holds now but I would stress to all ladies to get themselves checked out, even if your symptoms are not the same as what you has before.

Wishing everybody happy and healthy pregnancies in the future. xx

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I’m so sorry you’ve had another ectopic. It’s heart breaking and soul destroying. You need to find out what’s the best thing to do in relation to your tube.

After my first ectopic I conceived with only one tube. I have a beautiful 2 year old.

Stay strong, I know how devastated and angry you are feeling x

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Unfortunately my day 4 bloods indicate that my hcg is still rising and has shot up from 2000 to 2700. No free fluid in pelvis and apparently the ectopic is ‘well contained’.

Not sure whether to go for another round of methotrexate, or just remove the tube! I’m only 25, and don’t have any children. I don’t want to impact my fertility but I also can’t bear the thought of an increased risk of it happening again in the same tube.

So upset and angry right now. x

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Hi

I’m so sorry to hear this, it’s devastating. But you’re being really strong, and you will get through this.

My hcg also increased on day 4 after methotrexate. They told me this is normal because it doesn’t start working straight away. They’re looking for a decrease of at least 15% between day 4 and 7. Although mine actually only decreased by 12%, but I was still fine. I reached 0 about 3 weeks later.

Xxx

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Hi

My day 7 draw was 2707. So up by 7 but pretty much static. They messed up and didn’t take baseline bloods on the day they administered methotrexate, and took take 4 bloods on day 5. Bit stupid of them really.

They admitted me to hospital overnight and consultants encouraged me to have a second round of methotrexate.

However, anybody who’s even had one ectopic, will always be worried about the risk of it occurring again, and given that the tube had obviously sustained some damage (same right tube) I made the decision to remove it.

I had the surgery yesterday morning, it went well although aftercare was pretty much appalling. I met some lovely ladies on the ward - one told me she had a tube removed and now she has twins. Gave me some hope that after a long recovery period, hopefully it will be our turn eventually too! It

It was a very difficult decision as I was clinically stable and could have opted for the injection. I was just sick of the whole thing and wanted this nightmare to be over.

We are now planning a nice holiday this year to recover from it all.

Thanks for reading xx

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Thinking of you i really think you made the right choice