First pregnancy, EP, tube removed

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Hi all,

I had my first pregnancy this year. I finally found my partner in life, I’m 36 and he’s 39. I’ve always wanted to be a mom and am thrilled to have found someone to build a family with.

We conceived after 4 cycles and got a positive pregnancy test end of June and I had the best two weeks of my life thinking I was pregnant. I felt on top of the world and like everything was going right and my dreams were finally coming true.

2 weeks later I started bleeding, which was the beginning of a nightmare. Over the course of 4 days I got tests and ultrasounds. They finally saw the ectopic pregnancy in my right tube (it was 6 weeks two days, and had a heartbeat). My hcg level was 8500 the day before I had surgery. My right tube was removed.

I had PID in college so I knew this was a risk. I had an HSG test before we started trying, which showed that my tubes were clear. The doctor said there were no signs of adhesions or damage in my pelvis, and that my remaining left tube and that my ovaries look good and my uterus looks normal. The right tube that was removed showed no signs of damage or adhesions. I do have adhesions on my liver but that shouldn’t impact pregnancy.

I’ve done hours of research on the internet trying to figure out my chances of having a successful pregnancy. I’m 36 and don’t have 10 more years to try. I’m not sure if we have the best chance trying naturally or if we should go straight to IVF, or if I should get my eggs frozen now and try naturally for a while. I’m honestly really scared of it happening again, it’s been really difficult physically and emotionally.

If anyone has success stories to share I’d love to hear them. The only thing I can do is try to stay positive and hopeful. We can start trying again in 4 weeks but I haven’t had a period yet.

Has anyone had a history of PID, had an ectopic and then had a successful pregnancy?

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Dear Utatm,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy loss.

Please be kind to yourself, one third of women will experience ectopic pregnancy without any loan risk factors. You may have had PID previously but it does not mean it was the actual cause. Sadly most of us never know the reason.

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, 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.

It is also important to have early pregnancy scans with any future 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. If you are unable to self refer, please contact your GO surgery who can do this for you.

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

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Thanks for the response. My HCG finally is zero 6 weeks post op. Going to start trying again soon hopefully. Thanks for all the support