Nutrition for cornual ectopic pregnancy

gurigur · 3 June 2024 05:10

Hey,

I have a big cornual ectopic pregnancy

Im after 5 MTX alternative dose

My HCG in the beginning was 7000

Now after 5 MTX is 2000

I’ve just read yesterday here in the forum that its better to change your nutrition for FREE folic acid/folate diet and drink lots of green tea to help the MTX drop the HCG levels.

My doctors didn’t say anything about it, even though I ask lots of times about nutrition and MTX .

Can someone please help me with that?

Did you try free folic acid/folate diet and green tea and it helps you?

Thanks

EPT_Host_20 · 4 June 2024 20:13

Dear gurigur,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy loss.

Methotrexate is a folate antagonist meaning that it stops cells from developing and folate folic acid could reduce his well it works. You should stop taking any vitamins, minerals, or other medicines unless you have been told by the doctors treating you to continue with them, as some interfere with the effects of methotrexate. It is particularly important that you do not take any folic acid supplements and avoid foods enriched with folic acid until your doctors are sure that the drug has worked and hCG hormone level has returned to non-pregnant. To date there isn’t any medical evidence that green tea helps, so I cannot endorse drinking it.

Other things You can do to help include -

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 (pregnancy hormone) 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. Our website has information about ectopic pregnancy and the workplace.

In the first week, it is important to avoid pain killers which fall into the NSAID group such as ibuprofen. The preferred painkiller is paracetamol.

You should refrain from drinking alcohol until hCG has fallen to a non-pregnant level and not drink alcohol for a few weeks after that.

If you are going to try and conceive following methotrexate, it is important that once your hCG levels are back to pre pregnancy levels you take folic acid supplements for 12 weeks before trying to conceive.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

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gurigur · 6 June 2024 11:24

Hi, thank you very much for the extended answer. I have a few more questions:

Is it possible to try to get pregnant 3 months from the last injection or 3 months from the moment the hormone reached zero?
I am a vegetarian and find it difficult to avoid folic acid. I only eat a potato without the skin in the oven, baked salmon, yogurt, cheese, an apple without the skin and blueberries. Do you have any other ideas on what to eat? Is a cracker made from corn flour allowed?
Once the hormone reaches zero (currently it is 1000, I started with 7000) - how long does it take for the sac to dissolve? My ectopic pregnancy is in the horn of the uterus (cornual ectopic pregnancy)and it is 4 cm in size. Will it dissolve by itself? Will I feel it dissolve?
Once the hormone reaches zero - do you recommend maybe trying acupuncture to help the sac dissolve?
As soon as the hormone reaches zero - is it allowed to go back to eating folic acid or can it interfere with the sac dissolving?

Thank you so much!!!

EPT_Host_20 · 9 June 2024 18:19

Dear gurigur,

As we are a charity, we are not allowed to provide personalised medical advice, but I will try my best to answer your queries.

Once the hormone levels reach zero (or pre pregnancy levels, which in a lot of units is under 5), you then need to take folic acid supplements for 12 weeks before trying to conceive.

This is because the Methotrexate may have reduced the level of folate in your body which is needed to ensure a baby develops healthily. The Methotrexate is metabolised quickly but it can affect the quality of your cells, including those of your eggs and the quality of your blood for up to three months after it has been given. The medicine can also affect the way your liver works and so you need to give your body time to recover properly before a new pregnancy is considered. A shortage of folate could result in a greater chance of a baby having a neural tube defect such as hare lip, palate, or even spina bifida or other NT defects. This is why the “wait” and then taking folic acid for 12 weeks before trying to conceive is so important.

2.I am not a nutritional specialist, and we don’t advocate specific foods, we advise avoiding foods that state they are enriched or fortified with folic acid and stop any vitamins containing folic acid

3.In the UK, women aren’t routinely scanned or offered additional investigations to see if a sac is still present before trying to conceive again. We therefore don’t have any robust data to inform us how long it takes for a sac to be reabsorbed.

Allowing for the 12 week wait before trying to conceive is generally used as it allows time to build folic acid levels back up and the general thinking is that it also allows time for any sac to be naturally reabsorbed.

It is generally possible to conceive after an ectopic pregnancy. The time it takes to conceive successfully after an ectopic pregnancy varies considerably from couple to couple. This can be affected by factors including age, general health, reproductive health and how often you have intercourse (sex). Overall, 65% of women are healthily pregnant within 18 months of an ectopic pregnancy. Some studies suggest this figure rises to around 85% over two years. Sadly, it is not possible to stop an ectopic pregnancy from happening. Importantly, help is available with future pregnancies with an early scan at around six weeks gestation to check that the embryo is in the right place.

4.There is no robust medical data on the use of complimentary medicine regarding treatment and recovery from ectopic pregnancy. The EPT is a charity that has the backing of medical specialists and prides itself in providing accurate, research-based medical information. While we understand that many people are interested in the use of alternative and complementary therapies, we do not endorse these on our site. I am therefore unable to recommend acupuncture for recovery from ectopic pregnancy.

4.As soon as your hCG reaches pre-pregnancy levels 0 (or some units use below 5), you can go back to eating a normal diet and foods enriched with folic acid. We strongly advise you start taking folic acid supplements for 12 weeks before conceiving.

We have more information on trying to conceive on our website here:

https://ectopic.org.uk/physical-recover … eive-again

Please do not hesitate to get back to us with any further questions, we will be here for you and will support you as best we can.