I had my left fallopian tube removed a week ago. Im so lost, i dont have any of the risk factors and im confused about what my chances are of a healthy pregnancy the next time around. Everyone keeps saying you can just try again but I wanted this baby
Hi Emily.
I’m so sorry darling, I know all too well what you’re going through and how heartbreaking this is.
What did the surgeon tell you about your remaining tube? All you need is one and your chances of getting pregnant again are practically the same with 1 tube and having 2.
Your eggs from both ovaries can still find their way down the one remaining tube, the body is amazing.
All you need to do now is rest because I found the recovery after the op much harder than the hospital said it would be. Just rest, sleep, eat well and before you know it you’ll be pregnant again
Lucy x
Dear Emilymorgan,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
When we experience ectopic pregnancy we are suddenly faced with a life threatening emergency and it’s treatment reduction in fertility concerns about the future and the loss of our babies. Experiencing any one of these is an ordeal putting them together is immense and your feelings are completely normal.
Many of us search for answers as to why this happened to us, sadly for most of us no answers can be found and hand on my my heart there is nothing you could’ve done to prevent it from happening.
Generally, when a person has only one fallopian tube and both ovaries, they are still able to get pregnant from an egg at the opposite ovary as an egg from one ovary can travel down the tube on the other side. The fallopian tubes are not attached to the ovaries and, at the point of ovulation, some very delicate structures called the fimbriae begin to move gently creating a slight vacuum to suck the egg toward the end of the tube it is nearest to (like lots of little fingers waving and drawing the egg towards it). So, if you have only one tube then there is only one set of receptors working and one set of fimbriae creating a vacuum and so the egg is much more likely to find its way to that tube, whichever ovary it is produced from. Conservative estimates suggest that an egg produced on the tubeless side manages to descend the remaining tube around 15 to 20% of the 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. There is a specific TTC board you can look at too whenever feel ready.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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Hi Emily,
How are you? Have been thinking about you x
Thank you so much for your reply Lucy. The consultant said my remaining tube and ovaries looked fine, theres just so much information online its hard to know where to begin. Im feeling a lot more positive about the future and Im realising that I will probably never know why this happened. Yes the recovery is difficult Ive had two weeks off work but its gone by so quickly.
How are you doing? Ive seen your other post. Love and hugs x
Yes there’s a lot out there and hard to know what to believe, I know that.
Scientific reports show that around 13% of all pregnancies result in early miscarriage (1st trimester). You have probably seen that 85% of women who have an ectopic go on to have healthy pregnancies, so it’s practically the same odds as before, so don’t lose hope. I know many women (personally) who have had an ectopic and gone onto have a baby on their next pregnancy!!
For now, just rest. It took me 4 weeks to get over my surgery. I found that warm baths with Epsom salts really helped with my pain.
Thank you for asking after me. I’m in a bad place right now unfortunately. I’ve had 3 ectopics now and had all the different types of treatments. My husband says he’s going to buy me a hatrick present…it better be a Gucci handbag…
We had a really positive conversation with a specialist this week who has said that women prone to ectopics are really good success candidates for IVF. As there’s no problem with the eggs and sperm, just the plumbing, so to speak, so once I’m recovered we are probably going to try that.
I have no idea why this is happening to me, I don’t smoke, I haven’t had any STD’s, I guess it’s just the hand I’ve been dealt. For so long I have blamed myself for it and sometimes still do, but I can’t control it.
We women are made of strong stuff, we need to battle on and keep fighting for that baby! Come hell or high water I will get there I’m sure. My journey just isn’t how I planned it.
If you ever have any questions, just ping me. I can probably offer some advice or help xx