Our online forum has been one of the crucial resources on The EPT website for over 15 years. It was one of the original support routes provided by the charity and continues to be used regularly by the community. Since its creation, the forum has:
- Welcomed over 1 million visits each year.
- Registered over 20,000 members, with millions more participating anonymously.
- Hosted more than 40,000 unique discussion topics, with countless replies and reactions.
Available 24/7, 365 days a year, the forum offers a safe, supportive space for people affected by ectopic pregnancy. It’s a crucial part of our commitment to ensuring that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what your experience has been, your feelings are valid, and you are not alone.
We relaunched our website just over two years ago and now it’s time to bring our forum up to date. After a thorough technical review, our team found several key areas for improvement:
- The current platform is outdated and difficult to update.
- Over 90% of our visitors access the site via mobile phones, but the forum wasn’t optimised for mobile use.
- The supportive conversations happening in the forum aren’t being picked up by search engines, making it harder for people to find this valuable resource.
With no government or NHS funding, this forum upgrade for the ectopic pregnancy community has been made possible thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. The funding allows us to provide a supportive, safe, and modern dedicated space for anyone affected by ectopic pregnancy.
The forum relaunch is the next big step in improving our resources, following the full redesign of our website. The old forum platform was a vital part of the charity’s offering but had begun to show its age. We needed to bring it up to date, ensuring that this invaluable resource could serve its users even better for years to come.
From the start, this project involved our forum users and volunteers. We asked for feedback on the old forum, what worked and areas of improvement. Decisions were made with users at the very centre. Volunteers also helped with feedback on possible new platforms so that the new forum was shaped with their insights. Thank you to our volunteers for giving their time and ideas so generously. We wish to add a special mention to Kiran who, from the outset, provided lots of thoughts and hours of attention on how we could make the forum’s user experience better. We then worked with our web developer, Bravand, to put the plan we created together with our amazing volunteers into action. With the new platform now in place, the forum will continue to be a space where people can connect, share, and find support and hope during some of their most difficult times.
Munira Oza, Chief Executive of The EPT, said:
“The EPT aims to provide a range of support avenues so that people can use whichever resources suit their needs – and this includes our valued forum. Reading others’ experiences can help people feel less alone and many find our forum a source of comfort, being among others who have also been through an ectopic pregnancy. Lots of people also contribute and write their own stories, with engaging conversations among the community. Our moderators are on hand to ensure that people are treated kindly and have exchanges which are nurturing and empathic at a difficult time. We hope that the new forum can help in the continued healing journey for all who need it.”
The emotional and physical impact of an ectopic pregnancy doesn’t end when someone leaves the hospital. The recovery process can take months or even years and the need for reliable information and support is ongoing. Our new forum will provide a comforting, secure space for people during these challenging times.
How you can help
The grant from The National Lottery Community Fund has been crucial in helping us upgrade this vital support resource. To help us continue to provide our resources (including the forum) free of charge, you can donate here or check out fundraising here. If you are a business, please take a look at how you can support our work here.
