Ectopic 4 weeks ago + left tube removed

Pregnant After Ectopic Pregnancy
1

hi all,

I am 35, never been pregnant, healthy, active, not overweight, non- smoker no other risks for ectopic except being 35.

I honestly was starting to think I could never get pregnant because I have never had any pregnancy scares before. In November this year I started having pregnancy symptoms (sore/swollen breasts, tiredness, emotional) but ignored them as I just thought my body was being strange and we weren’t trying to get pregnant. Then my period didn’t come and my partner and I began to think I could be pregnant. We ordered a test on amazon but a few hours before it arrived- I got my period- or somewhat of it… it was brown and thick- but hey it meant i wasn’t pregnant- or so i thought…so i didn’t bother taking the test. About 5 more days go by and i am woken up during the night with a sharp pain on my left side- i go to the toilet (also with a bit of rectal pain) and push a little to pee and bright red blood comes out of my vagina (a normal period color)- I still don’t go to the doctor because my periods have been weird at times- skipping a month, always comes and goes as it pleases…I began to think maybe I had endometriosis or something.

It was the end of November/ early December and I didn’t bleed again for another few days then the brown discharge returned- later on that night my boyfriend urged me to go to urgent care - where I fainted when I arrived… then vomited -I was terrified- i didn’t know what was going on with my body. It was the worst pain i’ve ever experienced. They ran test/kept me overnight and the next morning they confirmed it was ectopic and surgery was my only option. I was about 6-7 weeks pregnant. I didn’t even know my tube would be removed until I woke up from surgery- I thought they would just remove the embryo - but the embryo had grown too big and ruptured my tube- the surgeon said I was internally bleeding and could have died if I waited any longer to come in.

My first thought was that I would be infertile but was assured by the surgeon my two ovaries and remaining tube were healthy and i can still have children if I wanted to- but to just plan it and go to the gyno first. I am not sure if I want a baby in the future but i want my options open and will be heartbroken if i can’t…

I am nearly 4 weeks post surgery- staples out- wounds healing. I finally stopped bleeding vaginally last week- all is seem to be healing fine. I was a bit of a wreck the first couple of weeks- blaming myself, mourning the loss of something I didn’t even know was there etc…but am feeling better now.

I do have some questions though:

To the ladies who did successfully conceive after tubal removal- did you go to the gyno before trying?? How am I supposed to know if my remaining tube isn’t blocked etc?? I don’t want to go through this again if I ever fall pregnant again.

Are there any other ladies who had irregular periods who successfully fell pregnant with one tube???

When did you period return?? and how is it now??? irregular? regular??

When did you have sex again?? I am terrified of the pain I might have as I am still internally healing…

Any ladies who got pregnant with one tube being over 35??

thanks in advance

2

Dear Ectopicat35,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss. I did not have surgery for my ectopic pregnancy so unfortunately I cannot give you personal advice but I will do my best to help.

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. We never forget but we can learn to accept what happened. It is a slow process that might be weeks or months ahead. In time, we can get to a place where we feel comfortable trying again. When this is, is individual for each person. There is no timeframe for recovery, take each day as it comes.

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.

In the UK, women aren’t routinely offered tests following ectopic pregnancy.

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.

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, help is available if conceiving naturally has not yet been successful after some time trying - and the EPT advises that women under 35 should seek medical advice following 12 months trying to conceive and those over 35 should seek advice after 6 months.

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.

Your periods can take a while to re-establish - they can re-start anything between two and ten weeks after surgery and most women find that their period arrives sometime around week six or seven after surgery.

The first period may be more painful or less so than usual, heavier or lighter, last for longer or shorter than usual – there really is no set pattern. You should be able to manage the discomfort with over-the-counter pain relief and should not be soaking a pad in less than an hour. If this is not the case, you should seek medical attention

Regarding resuming sexual intercourse, allowing the body to recover, ovulation to occur and the first period to arrive is often suggested by doctors as the ideal waiting period before women begin to have full penetrative intercourse (sex) again, which means waiting until around six weeks. This allows for healing of the muscles and gives you more confidence that your body is returning to its normal rhythm. Some couples, however, feel they want to have sex before this time and, ultimately, the decision about when to have sexual intercourse again is one for you and your partner and should be based on when you both feel ready. If you choose to wait, it does not mean that you cannot find other ways to be intimate should you choose to.

We have more information on recovery from ectopic pregnancy here https://ectopic.org.uk/patients/your-bo … pregnancy/

Above all be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally,

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 Preparing for your Next Pregnancy board you can look at too whenever feel ready.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

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