By registering on our forum, you can view and contribute to more topics on ectopic pregnancy. Your details are confidential and we do not send unsolicited emails. For your confidentiality, you can choose your own forum name to protect your anonymity if you so wish. If you register, there is no obligation to post; you can simply take comfort from the words of others. It is entirely up to you whether you post a message or read others' experiences or do both.

Can an eptopic clear without treatment? How to know?

This is a welcoming place for you to ask your questions and share your knowledge and experiences of ectopic pregnancy.
To keep this as a safe space, before being able to post freely, an administrator will need to activate your account and authorise your first post.
Post Reply
jadeautumnmills
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 6:40 pm

Can an eptopic clear without treatment? How to know?

Post by jadeautumnmills »

Hi all,
I'm feeling very stressed and confused at the minute. I found out I was pregnant on the 13th Jan and on the 16th I started bleeding (brown/ coffee like). Went to GP and went for scan on the 19th Jan. They could not see anything and going by my hormone levels they suggested it could be an ectopic pregnancy because of all my symptoms. I honestly think without anymore test etc that they are correct, and I have had an ectopic pregnancy. My symptoms have now reduced to nothing I feel like I'm back to normal apart from some light bleeding. My question is could my body have dispersed it already? What are the signs that this is possible? I was under 6 weeks pregnant.
Thank you in advance.

EPT Host 20
Posts: 3155
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 10:58 pm

Re: Can an eptopic clear without treatment? How to know?

Post by EPT Host 20 »

Dear jadeautumnmills,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss.
Ectopic pregnancy can be treated using a method called expect management where the doctors monitor the reduction in blood hCG levels.
I have copied our details regarding expectant management for you below.

Expectant Management
The term ‘expectant management’ is usually defined as watchful waiting or close monitoring by medical professionals instead of immediate treatment.

Research has shown that, in patients with an ectopic pregnancy who are properly assessed and their pregnancy hormone level (beta hCG) is dropping, up to 50% of these pregnancies will end naturally and there will be no need for an operation or a drug to treat the condition.

In deciding whether expectant management was appropriate, doctors would first of all look at the results of blood tests, ultrasound scan(s) and undertake an assessment of your general health. Expectant management would then be considered for treatment when:

The hormone being made by the pregnancy (beta hCG) is low
General health appears to be stable
Pain levels are considered to be acceptable
An ultrasound scan shows a small ectopic pregnancy with no worrying bleeding into the abdomen.
Doctors would then want to test your blood repeatedly to ensure that your hCG levels are dropping, usually twice in the first week and then weekly thereafter, until the levels have dropped to below 5<mIU/mL. It is not usually necessary to do another ultrasound scan unless you present with other symptoms, in which case your doctors will undertake a reassessment.

How long you need to keep going for repeat tests will depend upon how long it takes for your hCG levels to drop to below 5<mIU/mL and this can vary quite considerably from woman to woman. As a general rule, as long as your hCG levels are dropping between blood tests, your doctors will continue to monitor you and manage you expectantly. It can take anything between two weeks and three months, for your hCG levels to fall back to a non-pregnant level but, for most women, hCG levels have reached a non-pregnant state within around four weeks.

In these circumstances, your hospital would give you a number to contact for health advice if you feel that anything is changing, or you will have been told to report to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E). If you have not been told what to do and need to speak to someone ring the hospital department which is treating you or the NHS 111 Service by dialling 111.

Why does my doctor want to treat me this way and not give me medication or surgery?
Doctors always consider the least invasive form of treatment or management first where they can. Research-based evidence has shown that in properly selected patients, a proportion with a diagnosed or suspected ectopic pregnancy will need no active treatment and it will resolve on its own if we watch and wait. Although this can feel quite frightening and as though no one is doing anything, if the pregnancy does resolve on its own, avoiding surgery or powerful drug treatments, means your recovery will be faster. At the EPT we strongly believe in patient choice and that you should also be able to elect for treatment rather than watching and waiting if you do not feel this option is emotionally suitable for you.

What are the risks of being managed like this?
The main risk associated with expectant management is that the cells of the ectopic pregnancy might continue to divide, which could result in there still being a need for medical treatment or surgery after a period of expectant management. Around 25% of women, who are expectantly managed initially, go to on to need medical or surgical treatment. Doctors can tell if the specialised cells of a pregnancy that produce the hCG hormone are dividing because the hCG level will rise and not fall.

Occasionally an ectopic pregnancy can rupture despite low hCG levels. If you are concerned about your level of pain, please contact your hospital.

How will I know if there is a problem and I need a different treatment?
Your doctors will be able to tell if your pregnancy is not resolving, as this will be shown in the results of the regular blood tests. If this is the case, they will suggest other forms of treatment for you. The symptoms of a deteriorating ectopic pregnancy, which include worsening or progressively increasing pain; vaginal bleeding; shortness of breath; feeling faint; and pain in the tip of the shoulder among others, may become noticeable. If you suffer any of these symptoms you will need to be reassessed. Your hospital would give you a number to contact for health advice if you feel that anything is changing, or you will have been told to report to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E). If you have not been told what to do and need to speak to someone ring the hospital department which is treating you or the NHS 111 Service by dialling 111.

What can I do to help this kind of management work for me?
It is important that you do not undertake any strenuous exercise or lift heavy weights while the hCG levels are dropping.

Avoid sexual intercourse until your doctor is confident that the pregnancy is resolving.

Stop taking your folic acid supplements and avoid any other vitamin and/or mineral supplements until the hCG levels confirm that the ectopic pregnancy has ended.

It is important to take things gently in the first few days after your diagnosis, until it can be established that the hCG levels are dropping on their own.

Sending much love,
Karen x

**********************************************************************************************
If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?
Further information is available at www.ectopic.org.uk
Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.
Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).
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.
**********************************************************************************************

Post Reply