Complications from Procedures

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Hello, I’m 20 years old and I’ve recently had a salpingectomy after my left Fallopian tube ruptured from an unexpected ectopic pregnancy. I have never been pregnant before and I did not have any pregnancy symptoms until it was already too late. My boyfriend drove me to the ER when we initially thought I was in pain from an ovarian cyst. When the doctors broke the news, we were so afraid when they began to frantically evacuate me to a different hospital for my surgery. Two days after my first procedure, I’ve experienced excruciating pain and more bleeding, which resulted in another diagnostic laparoscopy on December 5th when my doctors found out that I had internal bleeding and a lung infection from the previous surgery. This delayed my recovery and I was bedridden for an entire month without being able to have visitors due to the pandemic.

Prior to having an ectopic pregnancy, I was not educated about this condition and I would have never known about how many people suffer from this form of loss every year. In a span of weeks, my future as been completely changed and my ability to conceive naturally has been taken away. It’s very hard to cope with both the emotional pain and physical pain after the ectopic pregnancy. I wanted to know how many people have had complications after an ectopic pregnancy like this and if anyone had some advice.

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Hi NancyA,

I am so very sorry to hear of all that you have been through with this ectopic pregnancy and loss. Many women and men do not know about ectopic pregnancy until they experience them. That was the case with myself, and at that time, I found these boards and felt connected with people who had similar experiences. Going through ectopic pregnancies during the time of COVID19 is an additional trauma.

The trauma of an ectopic pregnancy is both physical and emotional, and it takes time to sort through each of these. There is no set timeline for recovery and every woman will experience it in her own way. The most important thing right now is to look after yourself and give youself space for this healing. It’s important that you know that there was nothing you did to cause an ectopic pregnancy, nor sadly, anything we can do to prevent it. Journalling and talking are both valuable therapies for processing this experience.

As I’m not medically qualified, I can not comment upon your future ttc. However, It’s very normal to have worries about trying to conceive. Many feel that way; I did and still struggle with it. With future pregnancies, it is possible to have early scans to ensure you have the right help in the beginning. It may provide some comfort to know that it is usually possible to conceive successfully after having an ectopic pregnancy, though the time it generally takes varies considerably from couple to couple. Approximately 65 percent of women are healthily pregnant within 18 months of ectopic pregnancy and some studies show this rises to around 85 percent after two years.

On your fertility, the egg from the tubeless side can be picked up by the other Fallopian tube, and that means that fertility is not halved with having a Fallopian tube removed. Conservative estimates suggest that an egg produced on the tubeless side manages to descend the remaining tube around 15 to 20% of the time. This means that rather than your fertility being halved it has been affected by around 30% or, looking at it another way, it means we have around a 70% opportunity of conception with each menstrual (period) cycle.

These boards too are filled with men and women who are unfortunately bound by this experience. They are safe spaces to share your thoughts, concerns, and just to vent. We are here for as long as you need. Please be gentle with yourself.

Sending you warm wishes,

Michele

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