Sara's experience of an intramural ectopic pregnancy that required surgery

28 Jul 2023 | By Kerri

For me, the whole experience was a whirlwind. I only had a few cramps, which I put down to normal pregnancy cramping – I’d had the same when I was pregnant with my little girl. However, as I had previously had a miscarriage, I booked an early viability scan at a private diagnostic ultrasound clinic – something which turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever done!  
 
It was my second appointment, as the pregnancy was a bit smaller than expected when I went in for the first oneNothing to worry about, they thought at the first – I had probably just got my dates confused. However, this second appointment was different. The technician said that if she looked at my womb, it didn’t look like I was pregnant. She could see everything she needed to see – just not where they expected to see it. I was told to come back in two weeks, and we’d see if there were any changes.   
 
Thankfully, we received a call from the technician later that evening to say that she hadn’t ever seen a scan like it and couldn’t shake the feeling it needed a second opinion. The next day, I was referred to the EPU (Early Pregnancy Unit) for another scan. I left work thinking I’d be back in an hour or two.

 

 

I knew it was bad news as soon as the ladies started scanning. It turned out that I had an intramural ectopic pregnancy – the pregnancy had burrowed into the muscle of the uterus. Suddenly, I wasn’t going back to work – I was looking at an attempted keyhole surgery, or going in through my caesarean section scar if the position of the pregnancy meant that keyhole wasn’t possible. Which, ultimately, it wasn’t. The pregnancy was removed along with one of my Fallopian tubes which, unfortunately, wouldn’t have been able to function after my womb had been sewn up.

I was treated so incredibly well by everyone I saw, and I am so grateful for the treatment I received. However, recovery from the operation wasn’t easy – particularly as it felt like I’d had a second caesarean section but this time, with no baby. When I left hospital and had had more time to process what had happened, I had a lot of questions which couldn’t be answered. Fortunately, my mum stumbled upon The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust! I am so grateful to them for being able to give me some answers at a time when I was feeling so incredibly lost. I am about to take part in the 80 in 1 challenge to help me get back some of the fitness I lost after the surgery – and to raise awareness of the charity, and ectopic pregnancies in general.  

 

Thank you to Sara for sharing her experience. If you would like to share your experience of ectopic pregnancy, please visit our guide for more information.Please remember oursupport services are available at any time. 

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