Any tests that could be done?

Preparing For Your Next Pregnancy
1

Hi,

I’m still healing mentally and physically after my two ectopic surgeries (both tubes preserved) in March, but from time to time start thinking about the future and conceiving again.

I wanted to ask the community, are there any tests I should do before starting to try conceiving again? Operating doctor said there was nothing visually evident to be a reason for ectopic, so she said the reason is unclear. I’ve done an STD test, including chamydia, and it was negative.

Any other ideas how to feel better about doing my best to prevent an ectopic from happening again?

Thanks

2

Dear stilk,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,

It is normal to feel anxious about the future. We experience a mix of emotions from wanting to try again to being petrified of what may lie ahead.

Unfortunately there are no tests that guarantee that we won’t experience another ectopic pregnancy but we have more information on trying to conceive inn our website here- under the title testing.

https://ectopic.org.uk/patients/trying-to-conceive/

The chances of a further ectopic after a first in UK is 10%. So that’s 90% chance of the embryo being in right place next time.

While generally it is possible to conceive after an ectopic pregnancy, the amount of time it takes varies from couple to couple. Factors include age, general health, reproductive health and how often you have sex, among other things. It may be comforting to know that 65% of women are successfully pregnant within 18 months of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and some studies suggest this rises to around 85% after two years.

Importantly early scans avail. As soon as you know you are pregnant, contact your local EPU to inform them and book in for an early scan at around six weeks. Remind them of your previous ectopic pregnancy. This self refer route is the best route in our view. Hopefully you will have some comfort to know you are under the radar of medical professionals right away.

Making the decision to begin trying to conceive is an emotional rollercoaster compounded by our sad loss. Again, you are not alone. We here emotional support whenever you need us.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

Ectopic pregnancy patient information suite: Highly Commended in the 2019 BMA Patient Information Awards

During the coronavirus outbreak, The EPT team is still working hard to provide crucial information and support to women and families experiencing ectopic pregnancy as quickly and efficiently as we can.

If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering or fundraising?

Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

We provide a call-back helpline service: 020 7733 2653

Take a look at our newsletters and subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/986bdd6091ee/ectopic-matters

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team

3

stikl:
Hi,

I’m still healing mentally and physically after my two ectopic surgeries (both tubes preserved) in March, but from time to time start thinking about the future and conceiving again.

I wanted to ask the community, are there any tests I should do before starting to try conceiving again? Operating doctor said there was nothing visually evident to be a reason for ectopic, so she said the reason is unclear. I’ve done an STD test, including chamydia, and it was negative.

Any other ideas how to feel better about doing my best to prevent an ectopic from happening again?

Thanks

I recently found a new doctor to begin trying to figure out where to go from here because me and my husband do want to try again. I have no known risk factors for having my ectopic pregnancy earlier this year. My doctor has recommended I have an HSG test completed this month, so I am going to do this. This is a test that looks at the tubes to ensure they are not blocked. She said this also clears the tubes out, flushes out any debris and can help with conceiving. We are not sure that my insurance will pay, but it is worth it for me to take all precautions. This might be something you could look into or ask your doctor about.

4

There aren’t many other tests unfortunately and as you already had surgery then anything which could be identified during an investigative laparoscopy presumably would have been noticed already.

I’d agree with the suggestion to have an HSG (or HyCoSy) which can show if your tubes are clear or not. I am not sure if they flushed your tubes during surgery as they do this sometimes. Otherwise or instead you could have a normal ultrasound but that is less likely to show tubes in detail (except sometimes if there is a major issue). It probably wouldn’t add much.

You could also check your reproductive hormone levels throughout the cycle.