Struggling to conceive after tube removal

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First time posting on here and new to the group, I had a severe ectopic pregnancy in 2014 which resulted in loss of my right tube. After rupturing and internally bleeding for over 12 hours and 5 blood transfusions later I am lucky to be alive. We have been TTC for almost 3 years now with no luck. For the last 12 months i have been using a fertility monitor, I am finding that most months there is no ovulation (or this is not been detected).

Is this something that anyone else has experienced? Is this something that is linked to what has happened in the past?

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Dear Olivia,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss and the difficulty you are having in conceiving at the moment.

I very much understand that strong desire to conceive. I appreciate how frustrating it can be if it isn’t happening as quickly as we would like. Conceiving successfully can take time and can take some couples more than a year or so.

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.

In addition. having regular sex means having sex every 2/3 days throughout the month. Guidance from the UK’s National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence advises that having sex around the time when the woman ovulates causes stress and is not recommended. We here at the EPT suggest having intercourse 2/3 times between days 10-20 of their cycle when trying to conceive. We also have information on our website on trying to conceive here:

https://ectopic.org.uk/patients/trying-to-conceive/

Importantly, help is available if conceiving naturally has not yet been successful after some time trying - and the EPT advises that women under 35 should seek medical advice following 12 months trying to conceive and those over 35 should seek advice after 6 months. As you have been trying to conceive for longer than this, I would suggest speaking to a fertility specialist.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

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Ectopic pregnancy patient information suite: Highly Commended in the 2019 BMA Patient Information Awards

During the coronavirus outbreak, The EPT team is still working hard to provide crucial information and support to women and families experiencing ectopic pregnancy as quickly and efficiently as we can.

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Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

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