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1

Hi everyone,

I have just joined, so this is my first post.

I am lucky in that I have a 3 and a half year old son, which was a very quick and straightforward pregnancy, and he is a happy and healthy boy.

About a year and a half ago we started trying again, to give him a brother or sister. Last September I finally became pregnant, shortly after being put on Thyroid tablets. At about 6 weeks I miscarried.

We quickly tried again and I got pregnant again before Christmas, everything seemed to be going well until I went for my 12 week scan (on my own because of Covid) where I found out I’d had a missed miscarriage, so had to have a medical miscarriage.

We ended up getting pregnant again after a couple of periods, but I found out I had had an ectopic pregnancy a couple of weeks ago, and was rushed in for surgery to remove the tube. I am still signed off work at the moment.

I feel like life has been on hold for the last year and a half. I am a strong person, but I don’t know if I can go through it again. My husband really wants to try again, but not if it causes me pain. I always wanted to have 2 kids so that I could give my son some company, but the age gap would be getting quite big now. I don’t know if I am ready to give up, but I am scared to try again too.

I am also debating whether to have my Covid vaccine. I was told earlier this year not to have it because I had been trying for a baby. I asked my specialist yesterday and he says there is just not enough evidence either way, but that he would probably recommend having it in the next few days, so that by the time I do try again I would have had the 2nd vaccine.

Thanks for reading.

2

Dear Comet,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and losses, to experience one loss is difficult, to deal with multiple losses is heartbreaking and my heart truly goes out to you.

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.

Importantly early scans avail. As soon as you know you are pregnant, contact your local EPU to inform them and book in for an early scan at around six weeks. Remind them of your previous ectopic pregnancy. This self refer route is the best route in our view. Hopefully you will have some comfort to know you are under the radar of medical professionals right away.

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.

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.

Unfortunately I am not medically trained so cannot give you specific advice on your query regarding the covid vaccination and I would always advise to follow medical advice.

There is formal advice here-

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati … astfeeding

Making the decision to begin trying to conceive is an emotional rollercoaster compounded by our sad loss. Again, you are not alone. We here emotional support whenever you need us. There is a specific Preparing for your Next Pregnancy board you can look at too whenever feel ready.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

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.

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

Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

We provide a call-back helpline service: 020 7733 2653

Take a look at our newsletters and subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/986bdd6091ee/ectopic-matters

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