Pregnant one month after Methotrexate shot

I was wondering if anyone has experience this? We were told to wait 3 cycles, but somehow I still managed to get pregnant an exact month after I received the shot. I am worried about the baby and what any lingering effects the Methotrexate might have. Any experience?

Dear goldilocks129,

Whispered congratulations on your pregnancy,

Medical professionals recommend that you wait for two periods after treatment with methotrexate, which is typically three months after an ectopic pregnancy. This is because the methotrexate may have reduced the level of folate in your body and cause problems for any baby during pregnancy. Hopefully the medical professionals will also have suggested that you start taking folic acid now to increase your levels again. If you are not taking it yet, we strongly recommend you do so, both for baby and for your peace of mind.

I would advise talking to your doctor as soon as possible to seek information and reassurance.

Sending much love,

Karen x


If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?

Further information is available at http://www.ectopic.org.uk

Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).

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.


Hi Goldilocks, just wondering what happened as your pregnancy progressed? I am now pregnant 2.5 months after methotrexate and very worried. Hope it was all Ok for you xxx

I’m a bit late on this post but in case anyone reads this in the future i thought i would just share. I fell pregnant again just under 3 months after methotrexate (then subsequent surgery). My GP and EPU both recommended a higher dose of folic acid to counteract the methotrexate I had, they put me on 5mg a day for 12 weeks which is a prescription dose. Might be worth getting a higher dose if the same situation happens to you. I am now 18 weeks and hopefully everything will go ok this time, good luck everyone! x

Thanks for the reply J-Russell. I’m 14 weeks now and also took high dose folic acid. I’m having an extra detailed anomaly scan at 16 weeks to check how things are going. Fingers crossed for us both! xx

Hello all. Last Thursday I had a shot of methotrexate for a suspected ectopic pregnancy. This is my first pregnancy after trying for 9 months so I am very heartbroken and discouraged. I go tomorrow to find out if my numbers are declining so I don’t need a second shot. If my numbers are declining, my doctor said we could try after 1 to 2 cycles. I’ve done A LOT of reading about methotrexate so I know the recommended wait is 3-6 months, but my doctor, as well as some doctor’s postings online, said that wait was not necessary. Is there anyone out there who started trying right after methotrexate? How was your experience?

I wanted to give an update on my experience. I had methotrexate on 27 May and conceived on 24 July so approx. 2 calendar months after and only 1 full menstrual cycle.

I’m now 16 weeks pregnant and had an early anomaly scan yesterday to double-check the methotrexate hasn’t caused any issues and everything is looking perfect!

Good luck to everyone going through or recovering from an ectopic pregnancy. Horrible experience but there is hope xxx