I am 22 years old. I’m a masters student. I had an ectopic pregnancy in March, it came as a complete shock. I was initially told I was having a miscarriage and sent to an early pregnancy unit to get it confirmed. I was then told once I was there that it was actually an ectopic pregnancy and I was scheduled in straight away the next morning for emergency surgery in order to get my left fallopian tube removed. They had caught it just in time, during the surgery they noticed I had internal bleeding, I was obviously none the wiser prior to the hospital visit that day.
The doctors told me that my fertility won’t be affected, but I’ve been googling a lot and google says that fertility is affected…? I was just wondering for all those who have also suffered an ectopic and now have kids, how long it took you to conceive/ if there were any complications etc etc?
My family do not know my situation, I have not really had anyone to discuss anything properly with.
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
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 - 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.
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 Preparing for your next pregnancy board you can look at too whenever feel ready.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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Thanks for your reply. It is comforting to know all of that information and that those figures are all so high. I didn’t ask many questions when I was admitted to hospital due to the shock of it all.
I was further wondering about specific causes of ectopic pregnancies. I’m young and healthy, its very confusing to me that it happened in the first place. I don’t smoke and rarely drink. I’m so scared it will happen again and my other tube will be removed, meaning my only option for carrying a child will be IVF… are there any ways that could prevent it from occurring again?