Nov 22 - ultrasound showed no evidence of pregnancy in uterus. suspicious spot seen on uterus or tube. official diagnosis is pregnancy of unknown location.
i will return for another blood draw on Nov 27 and will get another ultrasound Nov 29. On Nov 29, we will reassess and determine if methotrexate is necessary.
because i’d like to try to get pregnant again as soon as possible, i am hoping to avoid methotrexate.
has anyone been through a similar expectant management scenario? i also welcome any and all advice and personal stories.
marmoannie:
U thought expectant management would be the quicker option but my levels fell for around 12 weeks. 1400
764, 372, 165, 74, 41, 28, 18, 13, 10, 6.
Thank you so much for your response! At what point were you diagnosed? What advice were you given about trying again for another pregnancy? Were your levels already falling when you were first diagnosed?
I was unaware I was pregnant and because of the bleeding it was confusing about dates but I suspect my HCG was already falling. I was told once levels reached -5 to wait one cycle to increase folic acid and then try. I tried for 3 months and have taken a break since trying with the plan to try again in the new year. I did write a blog on Expectant mngt which I linked on another post if you can’t find it and want to read let me know and I’ll find the link. Everyone’s experiences seem to be different but I wrote it (badly ha) cuz I found it hard to find info on exp mngt.
I am so sorry to hear of the difficult time you are going through.
I am afraid it is difficult to predict how long it will take for your hormone levels reach non-pregnant levels. As we are all individual, our bodies respond differently and it depends on factors like how high levels reached and our unique physiology. What I can say is that it can take a number of weeks and, while it can take some time, it is not as invasive a procedure as surgery.
Also, in terms of chances of future successful pregnancies, studies do not show a significant difference between treatment routes, whether surgical, medical using methotrexate or expectant management.
As a gentle reminder regarding ttc, we and many medical professionals advise waiting for two menstrual cycles. It is important to allow time for your body to recover and emotions to surface and be worked through. This is so that you have some comfort that your body is returning to its natural rhythm and you have a last menstrual period date from which to date a new pregnancy - key information in checking you are not suffering from an ectopic pregnancy in the future. The first bleed soon after surgery for ectopic pregnancy is not classed as a period as it is the body’s response to falling hormone levels.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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Im going thru the same thing. I had no idea I was even pregnant. Im 43 with 3 grown children. Im with a new partner who has no kids. I had my Mirena removed in Feb 2017 and periods went back to normal pretty quick. Took period on 2nd Oct and been bleeding ever since! GP got negative preg result so assumed it was maybe menopausal symptoms! I took bad pain and ended up in A&E to be told I actually was pregnant but hcg level was too low to be viable. A scan revealed a mass in right fallopian tube. My emotions are all over the place! Because levels are low Im just being monitored with scans and blood tests. Iv no idea when I possibly conceived or how long the bleeding will last! Its all very scary! Xxx
Amjadr it’s such a daunting time. Totally ok for your emotions to be all over the place. 8 months later and I still have my days of being a complete mess. Take care
Amjadr- yes, it is very scary. and how much of an emotional roller coaster it must be for you to find out you’re unexpectedly pregnant and then to be having an ectopic.
i had my blood drawn again on friday and my hcg levels have continued to rise. one more blood draw today and i think we will move to methotrexate, which i was really hoping to avoid. i can let you know how it goes.
Im still getting scans/blood tests and after 8 weeks bleeding seems to have finally stopped and hcg at 50. However “mass” still present in left tube which hasn’t changed in size at all! The consultant assures me it can take weeks to “reabsorb” but have seen stories on here it might not happen!
It’s weird that even tho we weren’t actively the this whole experience has now made me very broody!!
Im still getting scans/blood tests and after 8 weeks bleeding seems to have finally stopped and hcg at 50. However “mass” still present in right tube which hasn’t changed in size at all! The consultant assures me it can take weeks to “reabsorb” but have seen stories on here it might not happen!
It’s weird that even tho we weren’t actively ttc this whole experience has now made me very broody!!
Im still getting scans/blood tests and after 8 weeks bleeding seems to have finally stopped and hcg at 50. However “mass” still present in left tube which hasn’t changed in size at all! The consultant assures me it can take weeks to “reabsorb” but have seen stories on here it might not happen!
It’s weird that even tho we weren’t actively the this whole experience has now made me very broody!!
My hcg levels went down at the Monday blood draw! Doc thinks they will continue to decline and will be at zero in 6 weeks or so. Fingers crossed he’s right — I’d hate it if after all this waiting I’d end up needing methotrexate anyways. They were never able to locate the pregnancy in me. I’ve had three ultrasounds and each time they saw a cyst on an ovary that may have been the pregnancy but we’re thinking that’s unlikely because the cyst keeps moving and my hcg is so low.
Do you see pregnant women everywhere? I remember that when it first happened. I tried for 3 months to no avail. Have family visiting at mo (I’m irish living in oz) so no room for trying. It seems I have a luteal phase defect- I had cycle tracking so I’m waiting on Gyno appointment and hoping in the new year I will get some drugs and try again.
I feel ovulation now I also have paranoia phantom symptoms. It’s weird I get tunnel vision, shoulder tip pain etc and even though I know I’m not pregnant I convince myself I’m having another ectopic, I think maybe it’s cuz I didn’t know I was preg with the EP.
marmoannie:
Do you see pregnant women everywhere? I remember that when it first happened. I tried for 3 months to no avail. Have family visiting at mo (I’m irish living in oz) so no room for trying. It seems I have a luteal phase defect- I had cycle tracking so I’m waiting on Gyno appointment and hoping in the new year I will get some drugs and try again.
I feel ovulation now I also have paranoia phantom symptoms. It’s weird I get tunnel vision, shoulder tip pain etc and even though I know I’m not pregnant I convince myself I’m having another ectopic, I think maybe it’s cuz I didn’t know I was preg with the EP.
yes, I do notice pregnant women everywhere. And I think to myself “I bet she doesn’t have to worry about ectopics”