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My story ... methotrexate/ surgery

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Yas2017
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2017 10:41 am

My story ... methotrexate/ surgery

Post by Yas2017 »

I was only going to do a post once my treatment had finished so here goes....

I found out I was pregnant straight away after stopping the pill , it was my first pregnancy.

23 Feb I bleed
24 Feb I had scan a scan and advised I needed a further scan in 2 weeks. I assumed I had miscarried as I continued to bleed.
10 march I had a scan and was advised I'd had an ectopic pregnancy
13 march methotrexate injection ( levels started at 4800)
My levels dropped significantly throughout the weeks however on 14 April my tube ruptured requiring emergency surgery.
Symptoms of the rupture was not what I expected - I got sudden abdomen pain and had to go to bed however felt more like trapped wind or period style pain and the only way to ease it was to lie on my tummy. I got a shooting pain up my rectum and vaginal pain. When I went to the toilet I went very dizzy but thought it was because I was panicking. I contacted the early pregnancy unit and they could tell I was worried so advised me to come down and they would get the dr to review me. They scanned me and saw the bleeding then I had the surgery.

My worry is about the future as I don't have any children. We have been advised that we can start to try in 3 months.

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

Re: My story ... methotrexate/ surgery

Post by EPT Host 20 »

Dear Yas2017,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss and the difficult time you have been through.

Generally, when a person has only one fallopian tube and both ovaries, they are still able to get pregnant from an egg at the opposite ovary as an egg from one ovary can travel down the tube on the other side. The fallopian tubes are not attached to the ovaries and, at the point of ovulation, some very delicate structures called the fimbriae begin to move gently creating a slight vacuum to suck the egg toward the end of the tube it is nearest to (like lots of little fingers waving and drawing the egg towards it). So, if you have only one tube then there is only one set of receptors working and one set of fimbriae creating a vacuum and so the egg is much more likely to find its way to that tube, whichever ovary it is produced from. Conservative estimates suggest that an egg produced on the tubeless side manages to descend the remaining tube around 15 to 20% of the 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 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.

As a gentle reminder, as you have had a methotraxate injection, we advise to take a folic acid supplement for 12 weeks before you try to conceive. This is because the Methotrexate may have reduced the level of folate in your body which is needed to ensure a baby develops healthily. The Methotrexate is metabolised quickly but it can affect the quality of your cells, including those of your eggs and the quality of your blood for up to three months after it has been given. The medicine can also affect the way your liver works and so you need to give your body time to recover properly before a new pregnancy is considered. A shortage of folate could result in a greater chance of a baby having a neural tube defect such as hare lip, cleft palate, or even spina bifida or other NT defects. This is why the "wait" and then taking folic acid for 12 weeks before trying to conceive is so important.

There is no time frame for how long it takes us to heal emotionally and it is completely normal to feel anxious about the future. We will never forget our pregnancy or babies but we can learn to accept what has happened and crucially understand that it wasn't our fault.

Sending much love,
Karen x

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Stacey87xx
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:42 am

Re: My story ... methotrexate/ surgery

Post by Stacey87xx »

Hi i recieved your message im just unsure how to message tou back (sorry im useless with these kinds of things) lol . So i will answer your questions on here. Firstly i had my ruptured ectopic in my right tube in november 2015 had a period in december then one in jan 2016 then got pregnant total surprise as we were not trying and not preventing. I had my son in september 2016 and have been breastfeeding since he was born . Period was late in march infact it never turned up lol.. did a pregnancy test the week it was due teat was negative did one a week after my period was due and it was positive!! Again total surprise was trying and still breastfeeding kind of thought you couldnt get pregnant while breastfeeding if done right. So i am 6 weeks pregnant now. So with one tube it can happen as u can see and have proberly seen on this forum. I thought as soon as i lost my tube i would not be able to get pregnant but u really can . I know how worrying it is. But honestly when u do get pregnant u will be looked after by your epu and have scans xx

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