PUL at just under 5 weeks. Previous ectopic.

Pregnant After Ectopic Pregnancy
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I had an ectopic pregnancy back in November. Originally this was missed and I was told I was having a miscarriage. Once identified, I had methotrexate, however this didn’t work and I had to have my right tube removed.

I recently found out Im pregnant again, but my happiness turned into fear very quickly when I started getting cramping on my left hand side. I feel generally crampy and I have a sore lower back. I have had my bloods monitored and they are lowish but have more than doubled so far. However, I had an internal scan yesterday and have been told I have a pregnancy if unknown location. They couldn’t see anything at all other than soem cists on my left Overy. I’m waiting on my 3rd set of bloods but i know in my gut this is another ectopic :pensive:

Had anyone experienced anything similar or have any advice in preparing for another loss :cry: xx

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Dear Chantelle,

I am so sorry to hear of the worrying time you are going through.

When diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy, doctors use a combination of transvaginal ultrasound scanning and blood tests to check HCG levels. Usually scans take place at around six weeks gestation as there is a reasonable chance of seeing an embryo at around this time. If scans are inconclusive, doctors usually test hCG levels and a hCG level that is rising by less than 66% over 48 hours can mean it is likely, but not a certainty, that the pregnancy is ectopic.

A Pregnancy of Unknown Location or PUL is not a diagnosis but a label until the final location can be identified with certainty. For every 100 pregnancies labelled as a PUL about 10 will subsequently be found to be ectopic; and not all of these will need treatment.

I cannot be sure, but it could be the case that it may be too early to see a pregnancy on the scan. This happened on my subsequent pregnancy. Nothing was viewed in the first scan but my blood levels were rising. A subsequent scan a week later showed a heartbeat and implantation in the correct place. I really hope this is the case for yourself and we hear a positive outcome from following bloods and tests.

Having said this, I do think that if you are currently feeling pain which seems unusual and is concerning you and, in particular, if you experience any bleeding or spotting, it is better to call to get checked out again, to be on the safe side.

We are all here for you,

Sending much love and positive thoughts,

Karen x

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Thank you Karen.

I really appreciate you replying and sharing your story too!

I got further results back again and my levels have more than doubled again so I am going to stay positive and just relax. Either way I have no control and will deal with either outcome if/when it happens.

Thanks again. This forum has really helped me :heart::slightly_smiling_face: xx