I have just suffered from an ectopic pregnancy - I was rushed to hospital last Tuesday night and had to have emergency surgery, during which they removed the pregnancy and stopped the bleeding. I didn’t even know that I was pregnant, I’d menstruated the week before, and was actually going through IVF at the time. The doctors thought it was a burst cyst that had caused the bleeding, until they were able to discover the ectopic pregnancy during surgery. I was on the 11th day of my hormonal injections (during the stimulation phase of IVF) when this happened.
Now I am coming to terms with everything and I am a little confused as to whether this could have been avoided or not. My main question now is whether it is standard procedure for fertility clinics to test for pregnancy shortly before beginning the IVF stimulation phase? Or is it something that only some clinics decide to do? I’ve tried searching on the internet but can’t find clear information on it.
I am going to speak with my clinic tomorrow, but wanted to find out a bit more from others beforehand if possible.
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
Unfortunately I am not sure if standard procedures for fertility treatment as this is quite a specialist area.
Some ladies may reply to your post with their own personal experiences, however I would check with your clinic as you have mentioned.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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I know I’m a bit late replying to this now and I’m sure you have answers but just in case anyone else reads this.
It’s not standard practise for a clinic to test for pregnancy before stimulation. The reason they don’t is that your ivf cycle will be timed and stimulation timed based on your own cycle and the clinic advises that once you tell them the date of your period (before stimulation starts) that you don’t have unprotected sex from then for the duration of the ivf cycle.
I’m very sorry for your loss and that you had emergency surgery. What a shock to find out you were pregnant during fertility treatment. My clinic do not test for pregnancy before stimulation, they just tell me not to have intercourse from the beginning of the cycle. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. xx