Hi everyone. I had an ectopic in October this year and I’m keen to try to conceive again next year after I’ve waited the appropriate time.
This was my first pregnancy and it was treated with methotrexate (one dose) and my numbers resolved after 3.5 weeks.
I’m wondering if I should pursue a HSG test? Did anyone else have one or choose not to have one? I’m anxious about trying again …
Thanks so much!
Dear gcoward,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy loss,
It is normal to feel anxious about the future. We experience a mix of emotions from wanting to try again to being petrified of what may lie ahead. We never forget but we can learn to accept what happened. It is a slow process that might be weeks or months ahead. In time, we can get to a place where we feel comfortable trying again. When this is, is individual for each person. There is no timeframe for recovery, take each day as it comes.
The chances of a further ectopic after a first in UK is 10%. So that’s 90% chance of the embryo being in right place next time.
While generally it is possible to conceive after an ectopic pregnancy, the amount of time it takes varies from couple to couple. Factors include age, general health, reproductive health and how often you have sex, among other things. It may be comforting to know that 65% of women are successfully pregnant within 18 months of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and some studies suggest this rises to around 85% after two years.
Sadly there isn’t a test that will guarantee we won’t experience another pregnancy. The HSG test also.has some limitations. The tube can go into spasm making it appear blocked when it isn’t and it does show how well the tube is working. I have copied some more information here to explain this further.
https://ectopic.org.uk/physical-recover … eive-again. Look.at the topic - What are the limitations with a tubal patency test?
This will ultimately be a choice between you and your partner, but I would talk to a medical professional too.
Sending much love,
Karen x
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
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Thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate it so much.
I was also wondering from your experience how long it took for you to heal physically? Sometimes I still get a bit achy on that side. I had MTX - not surgery. Hard to know if everything is okay or not…
I reached 0 hcg at the end of November
Thanks again
Dear gcoward,
I am sorry if I’m about to sound vague on timings and symptoms, but my ectopic pregnancy loss was 13 years ago. I also had methotrexate and I remember feeling extremely tired for weeks following the injection. I too had tummy pains, this can be common. Pains can be due to your body settling down after everything it has been through. You may also be preparing to ovulate and many people including myself develop ovulation pain when they have never experienced this before. You may also have a heightened perception because of everything you have gone through.
My pain continued for many months and I was due to have further investigations, but found out I was pregnant again before I could have any, so I never got to the bottom of the cause.
If your pain persists, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.
Sending much love,
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
Hi.
I went through an ectopic pregnancy in September. I’m currently 4 months post methotrexate and I am still getting the aches you describe. I’ve just put it down to ovulation pain now as that’s when it tends to happen.
I have considered a hcg test myself. However. As I know there is still an 85 percent chance baby could be in the right place next time, I’m feeling confident to try again before having an hcg to make sure it wasn’t just bad luck.
I wish you the best xx
This thread is several months old so you may not see this response, but I just recently had an HSG test and it was a very positive experience. I had an ectopic pregnancy in July 2023. It was first treated with methotrexate, which wasn’t successful, and my fallopian tube ending up rupturing, so I had emergency surgery to remove it. The whole process was very traumatic, and when contemplating becoming pregnant again, I was very concerned about the possibility of going through another ectopic pregnancy and losing my remaining tube.
When my doctor told me about the HSG test, I was relieved to learn about it. However, after the loss of my first pregnancy, I wasn’t emotionally prepared to potentially hear more bad news, so I waited eighth months until I was feeling much less depressed before scheduling the test. I had heard that the procedure could be quite uncomfortable or painful — and, of course, everyone is different — but I really didn’t feel any discomfort during the test and had only very mild cramping afterward.
My test indicated that the remaining tube is open, which has brought me a lot of reassurance and peace of mind as I move towards trying again. Hopefully my experience of the HSG test is another helpful data point as you consider what to do next. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and know that you’ll make whatever decision is best for you.