Hi I have just been diagnosed as having and ectopic today and have decided on medical management, they gave me the methotrexate straight away today, hcg 875 which I hope is low enough for it to be successful! Would like to here some success stories to ease my anxiety please x
Hi Jo,
Firstly I am so sorry you’re going through this. I had an ep last year and was treated with 2 doses of methotrexate as the first lot didn’t work. My hcg was 3200ish at it’s highest. It took it’s time but it worked for me with hcg roughly halving each week.
I hope it works as well for you but please remember to rest and take it easy lifting etc as unfortunately you may still be at risk of rupturing. Are you back for more bloods soon? Much love x
Thank you so much for your reply, yes going on friday for initial bloods post treatment and then next Tues for the 7 day blood tests so fingers crossed.
It’s such an emotional and anxious time, we started trying for our first baby last year and miscarried, now this, so main concern is future pregnancies.
Reassuring to know it worked for you, hope you’re ok now,
Thanks again
Hey, I’ll have my fingers crossed for you on Friday!
So sorry to hear about your mc, it’s so tough. I had 2 mc years ago and had been trying for 2 years for my ep. This is my first month trying again after the methotrexate ban…I’m terrified of having another ep but I know a few people who’ve gone through mc’s and/or ep’s and have beautiful rainbow babies. That keeps me going.
Hoping all goes well for you and you soon have your own rainbow.
Thank you for your reassuring words, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you this time. Can I just ask how you felt after the injections and how long they took to take affect? It’s day 1 and I’m feeling a bit tired and nauseous and having some light spotting, not sure if the spotting is the medicine starting to break down the ectopic, or if it’s too early? No pain yet at all.
Hi Jo
So sorry you are going through this.
I had my methotrexate shot about a week and a half ago. My numbers were a lot lower to start with than yours (120), so I think the injection took effect a lot quicker because of that. I felt very sick for a few days and then day 2/3 I had quite bad pain and felt very bruised for a few days, so had to be careful in things such as sitting down quickly etc.
After my 4 day point my hcg levels had dropped to 44, where for a lot of women a day 4 rise is pretty normal even in successful treatments. I had a ‘gush’ (sorry if tmi) at around day 5, then day 7 my levels were 10.
Everyone experiences it differently, and I wish you all the best in the week to come xx
Thanks aestr0
Reassuring to know you had similar symptoms it’s so hard to know when to worry as the symptoms of the drug are similar to those of an ectopic needing urgent treatment!
So glad it worked for you x
I had this constant worry as well, I wasn’t shy with using paracetamol because if the pain eased then I knew it was just the ‘normal’ pain from the methotrexate. I also found it helped to actually say to the nurses how paranoid I was, as they then would just take en extra few minutes to test my tummy to see if I was worryingly tender, and answer any other questions i had x
Hi Jo,
I was already bleeding before I went to epu, that was my first sign that something was wrong. My levels went up on day 4 hence the 2nd dose but after that they roughly halved every 7 days. After my first dose I was a bit tired but the 2nd floored me and I struggled with tiredness for several weeks. Possibly due to having such high levels in the first place? I didn’t get pain str
Sorry! Accidentally hit submit :?
I didn’t get pain straight away, it took a couple of weeks but when i did it was quite sharp pains randomly throughout the day. Once it was bad enough for me to go to EPU but luckily I was fine. It’s really stressful trying to decide whether or not to panic when you get a pain isn’t it? Hopefully you’ve got a good EPU whom you can contact if you’re worried. Remember if you get shoulder-tip pain get medical advice straight away x
Sorry! I meant to say my levels had risen on day 4 but they were ok with that but then they’d risen again on day 7 so I got the 2nd jab x
Thank you it’s so helpful to hear experiences of others, luckily I do have a good epu, feeling better today so fingers crossed for tomorrow!
Dear JoFinden,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
While methotrexate is metabolised quickly by the body, it can affect the quality of your cells including those of your blood for up to three months after it has been given. One of the side effects to treatment is fatigue and many feel very tired and are shocked by the exhaustion they experience through treatment. The impacts of the drug are on top of an already immense ordeal - the diagnostic process of ectopic pregnancy, regular visits to hospital, loss of a pregnancy which all take their toll physically and emotionally and is very understandable and normal.
Most women find they begin bleeding a few days after the injection and this can last for up to 6 weeks. I personally found i didn’t bleed until a week after my injection and then it got heavier about a week later and the stomach pains kicked in. I too felt exhausted. We advise that you should not do any heavy lifting or housework until the hCG levels are dropping consistently and should only undertake gentle exercise, such as walking, until the hCG is at non-pregnant level. You should avoid sexual intercourse until your hCG is down to non-pregnant level.
Most people take time off from work initially and do not return to work for at least two weeks while the treatment begins to work. Your hospital can give you a certificate to refrain from work for your employers or the Department of Social Security, so you can claim sickness benefit if you are entitled to it.
I am afraid if 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).
As a gentle reminder we and many medical professionals advise that if you have had treatment using Methotrexate (whether one or two injections), you should wait until your hCG levels have fallen to below 5mIU/mL (your doctor will advise you when this is through blood tests) and then take a folic acid supplement for 12 weeks before you try to conceive.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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Same happened in my GF case.
8 April 2017 HCG 2500 methotrexate given
After 4 days level come to 1484
7th day 1184
14th day(20th April 2017) HCG 484
21st day (27th April ) HCG 321.
Diagnosed cornual ectopic Left sac size 3.66cm on 7th April 2017
Fingers crossed…
Any idea with experience how much more time take … her next check is 3may 2017.
Wait is long.
We are just praying.