Hi everyone,
I suffered an ectopic 8 weeks ago and required surgery to remove my right tube. I am so desperate for my rainbow and wanted to know how long it took others to conceive after the same situation?
Thank you
Dear Charlyg,
I cannot give you my personal information as I had methotrexate not surgery.
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.
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.
As a gentle reminder regarding conceiving again, 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.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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Hi @Charlyg
The length of time it would take to conceive with only one tube (or if it would happen at all) was what really worried me after my ectopic last November, particularly as I’m 39. After recovery and 2 periods we started trying again in Feb and I was pregnant after my 3rd cycle in April. Ironically, it had taken much longer to conceive our first child and the second time which was the ectopic and I had two tubes then! Unfortunately this one ended in miscarriage at 6 weeks but I’ve taken it as a sign that it’s not game over yet. After 2 losses in 6 months, I’m praying that next time we’ll get our rainbow baby! Stay positive, hopefully you will get yours too.
NovemberRain