Cornual ectopic success stories

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1

Hi there,

I am almost 3 weeks post op after a very frightening cornual ectopic at 8 weeks pregnant.

We managed to conceive as soon as we decided to try so when we found out we were pregnant we were over the moon.

I booked an 8 week scan in a private clinic so my husband could be with me as the hospital weren’t letting men in due to covid.

Nothing showed up and they suspected an ectopic, my heart broke.

I went straight to emergency room and into early pregnancy unit from then on it was all a big rush to get me into surgery.

They had to do a c section due to the fact it was cornual and I lost my left tube.

I am hearing mixed advice about trying again some saying 3-6months some saying a year?!

I would love to hear some success stories after a similar ectopic to mine for some hope that I can have a normal pregnancy again. Xx

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Dear SharonD20,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss. You have been through a huge amount in such a short space of time and it is very normal to feel overwhelmed. From your words, I can imagine how frightening the experience must have been and I am sorry you have had to go though this.

My ectopic pregnancy was in my fallopian tube, so I’m afraid I cannot give you a personal account however, I did successfully conceive after.

Regarding conceiving again, generally we and many medical professionals advise waiting for two menstrual cycles. It is important to allow time for your body to recover and emotions to surface and be worked through. This is so that you have some comfort that your body is returning to its natural rhythm and you have a last menstrual period date from which to date a new pregnancy - key information in checking you are not suffering from an ectopic pregnancy in the future. The first bleed soon after surgery for ectopic pregnancy is not classed as a period as it is the body’s response to falling hormone levels.

Please note that the first bleed after an ectopic pregnancy, is not classed as a period - it is the body’s response to falling hormone levels as you are sadly no longer pregnant and shedding of the uterine lining that had build up which involves bleeding.

It is also important to book in for an early pregnancy scan with any subsequent pregnancies. 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.

Having said this as I do not have access to your medical notes, I would advise speaking to your medical team or GP who will be able to give you more personal advice.

Sending much love,

Karen x

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Hi Sharond20

Sorry to bring you back to such an awful time, I’ve just gone through this and had surgery for it 2.5 weeks ago, I have been advised to wait one cycle just so they can date the next pregnancy more accurately- I was wondering if you have managed to conceive again yet? I lost my right tube and keep being told the odds of a cornual ectopic happening again are pretty high so just looking for a success story to put my mind at ease if possible

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

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Sharon,

Hey there. I am so sorry for your loss. I just wanted to share my story with you for some hope…I had a cornual ectopic 5 years ago. It was much worse than they originally thought and my emergency surgery went from laproscopic, same day surgery to waking up with a full laparotomy and 33 staples in my stomach with a 3 day hospital stay. (I had already ruptured and had about a pint of blood in my belly). Afterwards, I was told that because of the 3 inch incision at the top of my uterus, any future pregnancies would have to be delivered early via c-section. Devastated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt at the time. I was really struggling with a lot of raw emotions and wasn’t even sure I would be able to get pregnant again. I was told that I needed to wait a minimum of 4-6 months before we started trying to get pregnant again. My ectopic happened in August. I changed doctors after that (another whole long story) and got the all clear from my new doctor to start trying again in January. We did start trying that month and got a positive pregnancy test in late March. As soon as I got a positive test, I was in the doctors office for hcg level checks and ultrasounds every 3 days. Once they confirmed that the pregnancy was in fact in my uterus, they treated me like a normal (not high-risk pregnancy) until I hit the 3rd trimester. For the entire 3rd trimester, I was seen weekly and had a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks. I found out later that often, if you have had a cornual resection, they will go ahead and deliver you at 36 weeks. I was very fortunate that my doctor was very down to earth and a calming presence for me. He basically told me that until my body started acting high risk, he wasn’t going to treat me as such…with the one caveat that if I started having contraction, we would immediately deliver via c-section to avoid the risk of rupture. I now have a beautiful, sassy, healthy 4 year old. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I had such a hard time finding anyone else who had been through my experience of the cornual ectopic…which is a whole different beast when it’s interstitial or cornual. Best of luck to you. You and your husband will be in my prayers as you go through this journey…is it not for the faint of heart.

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Hello @akaufman1 - thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story, this is so valuable. I just went through a laparoscopy because of a cornual ectopic a month ago. I’m desperately looking for success stories around me as I don’t have kids yet and I’m concerned about my next pregnancy. Your story gave me hope and I wanted to thank you. I also wanted to ask you what exams have you done to get cleared by your doctor in January? I’m anxious about uterine rupture, if you have any insights on this I would love to hear (is there any early signs that can be detected before it happens?). Thank you so much, I’m really grateful for your testimony. All the best xx