Hello, I am 3 days into my Methotrexate treatment and haven’t felt any side effects except a very occasional cramp/tinges on the side where the ectopic pregnancy is.
My question is: does the Methotrexate treatment cause period-like cramps (ie. Throughout entire lower abdomen) or can it also cause pain on just the ectopic side?
It’s so hard to know if it’s just the meds working or if it’s a rupture?!
For those with experience, your help would be much appreciated!
Dear Plants105,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
You may not yet be experiencing side effects yet because the action of Methotrexate is not instantaneous, so the cells will have continued to divide for two or three days after the injection was given, and some cells release more hCG when they start to disappear. The hCG level often rises on the day four blood test and your doctors are looking to see a drop in your hCG value of at least 15% between days four and seven. If there has not been a 15% drop, this is when the doctors will consider a second dose of Methotrexate or surgery.
We all experience different side effects from the medication but we have more information on methotrexate injection including side effects here-
https://ectopic.org.uk/patients/treatment/
Sadly I do have to remind you that if you experience any worsening pain, unusual bleeding or start to feel dizzy and unwell to please seek urgent medical advice.
I am afraid it is difficult to predict how long it will take for your hormone levels reach non-pregnant levels. As we are all individual, our bodies respond differently to the drug and it depends on factors like how high levels reached and our unique physiology. What I can say is that it can take a number of weeks and, while it can take some time, it is not as invasive a procedure as surgery. Also, in terms of chances of future successful pregnancies, studies do not show a significant difference between treatment routes, whether surgical, medical using methotrexate or expectant management (allowing time for the body to resolve the pregnancy itself).
Please be kind to yourself, we advise that you do not complete any heavy lifting, housework or strenuous exercise whilst your levels are reducing.
Sending much love,
Karen x
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
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Hi Plants105,
I got the shot 3 weeks ago and I had very mild cramps when I got and pain mainly on the side of the ectopic. I still get pains on the ectopic side.