Misdiagnosed and HCG levels rising after salpingectomy

I was 6 weeks when I woke up in the middle of the night with pain, it wasn’t too bad so I thought it was just a stomach bug. The next day my pain got worst, my right side hurt when I walked or moved so decided to call 111 where they suggested I contact my gp. My gp told me that it was too early in pregnancy to know if everything was ok and that pain is normal on the first weeks of pregnancy, that It was just the fear of the first pregnancy, that because I wasn’t bleeding I didnt need to worry.

That night I went to bed early as I was still feeling bad and woke up with a horrible pain on my side, went to the bathroom and I was spotting, the next thing I remember is sweating and lying down on the floor. My partner took me to a&e and from there I was sent to the early pregnancy emergency unit where I was told it was possibly a urine infection, they didnt do a blood test or a scan, they just did a uti test which was negative and said that it was probably the begining of a UTI and that I needed antibiotics. My gut was telling me that something was wrong…

Two days later they phoned me and said that they wanted to do a scan to be sure everything was ok but that the next scan available was in 3 days, so 6 days after I started with the pain. The day of the scan I started bleeding heavily and I was told I had an ectopic pregnancy, that my right tube had erupted and that I had an internal bleeding, that I was going to surgery in 3 hours. I couldn’t believe what the doctor was telling me, I was in shock, never been so scared in my life. I not only lost a baby but my fallopian tube.

I wish my story ended there but 3 weeks after surgery when I took the pregnancy test to check hcg levels was possitive. I had scans, blood test every 48 hours to monitor my levels which instead of going down were going up, and I was 100% sure I couldn’t be pregnant. I was told that I probably still had pregnancy tissue on my belly and that if levels were not going down I would need mtx. I couldn’t believe that I would have to go through it again. My levels started to go down but very slow so they decided to monitor them to avoid mtx and the side effects.

It took 2 months and a half for my hcg to reach less than 5 and a total of 11 blood test with hours of waiting in the hospital. Its been a week since I was told I was ok, and now I feel more sad than ever, I was so worried about healing my body and not having to go hospital that I didnt realise that I was not healing my mind and processing my loss. I hope this feeling goes away soon. And I hope my experience can help you if you are going through something similar xxx

Dear m1991,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy loss, and of everything you have been through. From your own words, I can imagine how frightening this must have all been and I’m so sorry you have been through this.

I think it’s common for us to get focused on the physical aspects of our treatment and the emotional impact of everything we are going through often gets buried until we are discharged from hospital care.

When we experience ectopic pregnancy We are suddenly faced with a life threatening emergency and it’s treatments, concerns about the future, reduction in fertility and the loss of our babies. Experiencing any one of these is an ordeal, putting them together is immense and your feelings are completely normal. It can take up to three months to even begin to process traumatic events such as these, so please be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve and heal both physically and emotionally.

We are here for emotional support and you can lean on us for as long as you need. These boards are full of people with similar experiences. We also offer email and telephone support if you would like to access thess, the details are below.

Sending much love and warm hugs,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

The EPT is awarded the PIF TICK as a Trusted Information Creator, the UK-wide quality mark for healthcare information


If the information provided here or through the EPT website has helped you, you can donate towards our support services, volunteer, or fundraise to raise awareness.

Further information is available on our website.

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

We provide a call-back support line: 020 7733 2653. We are able to provide support in multiple languages including British Sign Language.

Take a look at our newsletters and subscribe to our mailing list.

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team