Understanding ectopic

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1

Hello,

I had an ectopic a month ago discovered at 6 weeks. I had expectant management as my hcg was 125 when I when it was discovered and by 2 days later already dropped to 125. I don’t fall into the listed risk factors and was told sometimes it’s just bad luck and is a mystery.

What I want to be clear on is, is it possible to have completely healthy tubes with no blockages etc and ectopic still happen? In this case the “bad luck” . Or is it that despite not being any of the risk factors the bad luck is that I have some sort of problem with the tube?

Searching for answers and reassurance as I try to navigate my onward ttc process.

Thanks,

Chloe x

2

Hi chloe_73,

I’m so sorry to hear that you have suffered an ectopic pregnancy and loss. It can be a confusing time, leaving us with many questions. I will do my very best to help.

Your ectopic pregnancy was only a month ago and it is still early days in your recovery. You have had a massive physical and emotional upheaval, and recovery from ectopic pregnancy will take time. Like you, while I also read the risk factors, I related to none of them. I spent hours wracking my brain on what could possibly be happening in my body. However, with two surgeries for two ectopics, my doctors continued to diagnosed my ectoptic pregnancies as “bad luck”. While I still wish there was more research directed towards finding out “why” ectopics occur, I’ve also come to a peace with understanding there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. In my case, which I found as a positive, I became more aware and intentional of my levels of stress and my overall well-being. Whether that had any effect on my future pregnancies, I can not say. I just believe it helped with my overall welfare.

TTC after an ectopic pregnancy can be an anxious time for many women. I know how strong the desire to have a child can be, and I encourage you to be extra-compassionate with yourself during this time. So many of these processes are well outside of our control. It’s important to have the emotional and physical support you need during this time. Please know that we are here for you throughout your journey. Please take good care and look after yourself.

With good wishes,

Michele

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

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

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Further information is available on our website.

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3

Hi Chloe,

I’m in a similar position, I had medical management last month and no clear reasons for the ectopic.

I’ve done a bit of reading of scientific papers about ectopic (reading papers is part of my job I didn’t just decide to start now!) and my conclusion from those was that there is no reason to think it will happen again, but be aware incase it does. The stats say ectopics happen again in 1/10 of subsequent pregnancies so it’s possible to happen again but not likely.

There are so many things that have to align in pregnancy, sometimes it all goes right and sometimes not - the luck part.

All the best,

Katie