I was diagnosed with my first ectopic pregnancy in March 2024, within a week of returning from holiday. As we had been trying to conceive before the holiday, I took a pregnancy test before we went abroad, and it was negative. I started bleeding and having cramps while I was away and felt terrible when we arrived back in the UK. I took another pregnancy test, and it was positive; I instantly knew that something was wrong.
My husband and I went to our hospital’s early pregnancy unit (EPU) the following day, where I was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy in my right Fallopian tube. I didn’t know what an ectopic pregnancy was and was taken aback when I was given the three possible treatment options – expectant management, medical management (the methotrexate injection), or surgery to remove my Fallopian tube. As my pregnancy hormones were very low, I was advised to proceed with expectant management.
I was asked to go to the hospital every two days for a blood test to measure my pregnancy hormone. It was steadily rising, but the pain had disappeared, so we all became hopeful. On the sixth day, the pain reappeared, and the hospital advised me that I needed emergency surgery to remove my right Fallopian tube as I was suffering a suspected rupture. I can still remember the terror of being told I needed surgery. I had the surgery that afternoon and was terrified when I woke up, with my stomach covered in bandages and unable to walk – there had been no time to explain to me what the surgery or recovery really meant. The surgery was the right option, as I had started to haemorrhage.
I am very active, so I focused on the physical recovery. Within two weeks, I was doing gentle exercises and was determined to get back to physical health. My mental recovery, however, took over six months. I found every mention of children triggering and was extremely emotional and depressed during this time. I also began to suffer from health anxiety, as I didn’t feel like I could trust my body anymore.
I only found the strength to start trying again in January 2025. I was then diagnosed with my second ectopic pregnancy in February 2025 while I was abroad on holiday. Again, I had a negative pregnancy test before I went abroad. I started bleeding the week before my holiday and naturally assumed it was my period. The bleeding continued while I was on holiday, and I started to feel pain on my left-hand side. I then took a pregnancy test and, when it was positive, went to a gynaecologist for an examination, given my previous ectopic pregnancy.
The gynaecologist diagnosed it as a miscarriage, given my low pregnancy hormones. I was sad but relieved, given my previous ectopic pregnancy and surgery. However, within 24 hours, my pregnancy hormone increased, and the gynaecologist confirmed that it was another ectopic pregnancy. I was then admitted to the hospital, where the ectopic pregnancy was identified in my left Fallopian tube. Within 24 hours, I had surgery to remove my left Fallopian tube as I had started to haemorrhage. I was left with no option.
I am still in the process of recovering, both physically and emotionally, and coming to terms with the fact that my only chance to have a child is with IVF.
If I could say one thing...
Don’t rush the recovery – it’s not a straightforward journey. There will be good days and bad days, and they’re not predictable (and that’s okay).
Thank you to our contributor for sharing her experience. If you would like to share your experience of ectopic pregnancy, please visit our guide for more information.
Please remember our support services are available at any time.