My Ectopic Pregnancy Story:
Sharing my ectopic pregnancy experience, hoping it will help someone in the same situation as me. The entire process was scary, exhausting and drained me physically and emotionally. But now that it is finally over, I feel a sense of relief and more thankful to everyday of my life, and every little thing in my life.
My ectopic pregnancy - It all started with a period like bleeding and a positive pregnancy test.
I had a period like bleeding that started around the time my periods were due (around 13 DPO). (I know when I ovulate because we are actively trying to conceive and tracking ovulation using combination of BBT, Cervical fluid monitoring, LH Surge test kits and ovulation pain in the ovary.)
Even though this bleeding arrived at the time I expected my periods, as I recollect it now, it was unusual as compared to my regular periods – It was watery, had clots and tissues, no cramps or any pain at all. The overall flow was only 2/3rd to what I used to have during my regular periods.
So, I thought my periods just started and yet, I took a pregnancy test, just in case (I never did that in my past cycles.) That should be a divine intervention. In hindsight, that is the best thing I did to myself, because that is what saved me with minimal medical intervention! Otherwise, given the nature of ectopic pregnancies in general, I would not have known until it became a serious emergency situation. The HPT was faint but surely positive. I could not believe my eyes because this is my only positive HPT in a natural cycle ever. I was confused and cautiously optimistic.
Luckily, I was able to see my GP same day. The Urine test at the GP was negative. But, since I showed the picture of my HPT, he booked me for a Beta HCG blood test, to have my levels checked. Four days later, the Beta HCG test came back at 111 and the GP referred me to the EPU.
My Beta HCG levels and the sequence of events are as follows:
Feb 22 – Faint Positive HPT and period like bleeding
Feb 26 – 111 - Blood test at GP.
Mar 01 – 340 – Referred to EPU. No evidence of pregnancy in scan.
Mar 03 – 574
Mar 05 – 532 - Possible left ectopic pregnancy in scan. Since the levels were falling, Expectant management was recommended.
Mar 08 – 1104 (Day 1 MTH) – Since levels doubled since last test, I was called in urgently. Another scan confirmed left ectopic pregnancy and ruled out Heterotopic pregnancy. Methotrexate shot was given immediately.
Mar 11 – 522 (Day 4 MTH) levels fell 50%. Great relief.
Mar 14 to Mar 16 – 1st bleeding after MTH
Mar 14 – 673 (Day 7 MTH) levels increased again. Worried very much. If levels do not fall in next blood test, 2nd dose of MTH needs to be given.
Mar 16 – 483 (Day 9 MTH) thankfully levels fell again so no 2nd dose of MTH.
Mar 24 to Mar 28 – 2nd bleeding after MTH. Some cramps, tiny clots, no tissues.
Mar 25 – 183 (Day 18 MTH)
Apr 02 – 40 (Day 26 MTH)
Apr 16 – 1 (Day 40 MTH) Ectopic resolved.
TOTAL DAYS FOR ECTOPIC RESOLUTION POST MTH SHOT: 40 days
PAIN:
I did not have any pain or discomfort before MTH. However, after MTH shot, I had pain from severe to moderate intensity, but the pain got less severe and less frequent after the HCG value fell under 100.
Various types of pain –
Ectopic site pain - periodic, persistent pinching in ectopic site. Even had this pain few days before the value was 1. Ectopic site felt like raw unhealed wound when stretching.
Ovary pain – Both sides
Lower pubic area pain on the side of ectopic - persistent pin prick kind of pain
Upper abdomen pain – both sides, more on non-ectopic right side.
DIET
When my HCG levels fell 50 % on D4 after MTH, I was so relieved and started eating well in order to reward myself and feel normal again. But the value went up on D7 and only at that point, after going thru various posts in forums and other reliable sites, I understood I need to cut back on folic acid rich foods. I still wonder why my EPU did not advise me so. I cut back on all folic acid foods, basically lived on Chicken and Milk. It was really really difficult to manage with such a poorly balanced diet; I was getting weaker but could not eat healthy. But I really think it helped, because my levels started falling steadily after that change in diet.
CONSTIPATION
As a result of my poor diet, I got severe constipation and could not pass stool for about 4 days continuously. I was not able to push hard because it hurt my ectopic site and I was way too scared of rupture or internal bleeding. At that point, Prune juice and Prune fruits saved me.
BBT
The days between HCG blood draws are horrible. Nothing could help settle my anxious mind, especially during the initial days when I was not sure if the ectopic was resolving or not. HPT was not of any help, because it will always be positive during initial days and will not help understand if HCG is falling or not. What gave me some comfort and reduced my anxiety was BBT charting. I still continued BBT charting and the fall in BBT trend (which indicated fall in progesterone) was in sync in HCG fall trend in blood test. And it was satisfying to see the BBT fall down consistently, which meant the pregnancy was getting weaker.
EMOTIONAL
As rightly mentioned in some webpage, ectopic pregnancy feels like a ticking time bomb in the tummy. I felt like that every passing minute for 40 days. Every move scared me. I was paranoid about every little pain in the tummy. The numerous blood draws left me drained and exhausted. After the morning blood draws, the nurse calls me back with results by afternoon, that in-between wait used to kill me. My heart used to race harder for every little beep from the phone. I could not focus on anything else and just sit near the phone waiting for it to ring.
Knowing that I had a much-wanted healthy pregnancy, but in the wrong place, then wishing for the pregnancy to resolve by itself (expectant management), when that did not happen, terminating that pregnancy with MTH (medical management), and praying every day that that pregnancy will resolve soon, while also praying that I should come out of all this alive because I have a family to look after. The entire ordeal was an emotional roller coaster of flooding emotions and intense feelings.
If someone ask me what separates life and death – I would say a few centimetres, because that is what decided the fate of my beautiful baby.
LESSONS LEARNT:
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I took a pregnancy test even when my period started, it helped me with quick diagnosis of my ectopic pregnancy.
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The urine pregnancy test at the GP is low sensitivity and unreliable during very early pregnancy days, in situations like mine.
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As suggested by many people and reliable websites, it is good to cut back on folate rich foods and any other supplements so that MTH works efficiently.
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I did not have any pain or discomfort even when my HCG levels where at the highest at 1100. So, pain is not a reliable indicator for diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, at least for me it wasn’t
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Lots of sleep (night + day) made me feel a lot better and it helped with my recovery.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone going thru this… Wish you lots of strength… Remember, “This too shall pass away”
