Our Story (written by Rebecca)
After two rounds of IVF (In vitro fertilisation) we decided to take a break and plan a big trip to travel around Vietnam. It was a dream adventure for us both, and having 8 frozen embryos after only getting one embryo on the first round we felt a sense of security and decided to live a little. We were exhausted after pouring everything we had into IVF. Having severe endometriosis, a frozen pelvis and only one Fallopian tube remaining we never imagined I would fall pregnant naturally, but this was the surprise that came just weeks before we were due to set off on our Southeast Asia trip.
We were elated and over the moon, I will never forget that feeling. I never in a million years thought I would see two lines on a pregnancy test. I screamed for Kieran to come downstairs and even the dog was in the bathroom staring at the test in disbelief. We spoke to fertility doctors, consultants etc. who all said to go and enjoy our trip, to just watch what I ate, and maybe have a more luxurious adventure than what we had planned. I had bloodwork done, my hCG levels (pregnancy hormone levels) were rising as they should and we set off on our trip.
Within one day of arriving, I started to get sharp pains. I just knew something didn’t feel right but an ectopic pregnancy wasn’t on my mind at all. I wish I’d been briefed on the possibility before going as I think we would have chosen not to travel. We found a private English-speaking hospital on our stop in Thailand and booked in for a private scan. I was told they could not see a gestational sac and they would do blood work and bring me back in a few days for another scan. The next scan and blood work confirmed that my hCG levels were on the rise with a pregnancy of unknown location. I was told that I would need to start medical management (methotrexate) or have surgery as soon as possible as my hCG levels were quite high and I was at risk of tubal rupture. The doctor said that she did not feel confident about performing a laparoscopy on someone with extensive adhesions due to previous surgeries and endometriosis. She said I would likely need open abdomen surgery which is something I really wanted to avoid having so far from home. We opted for methotrexate to try our very best to get medical clearance to fly home as soon as possible as it was not safe at that time for me to fly due to the risk of rupture.
Unfortunately, one dose of methotrexate was confirmed to not have had an effect after one week and I was advised to have a second dose. I had the second dose, and we went back to our hotel room. The next morning, I woke in so much pain, delirious and nauseous so Kieran called an ambulance. I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance through the island of Phuket in Thailand, not even strapped in. It was the most surreal experience. They investigated for signs of rupture and thankfully there were none. I was admitted and given an antidote to methotrexate as I was having an allergic reaction on my skin and had ulcers all over the inside of my mouth. I was kept in for a week this time and thankfully my hCG blood levels started to decline – the pregnancy was coming to an end.
I was cleared to fly a few days later and was repatriated home in business class, which allowed me to lie flat for most of the 16 hours of flying. On arrival home to Ireland, we went straight to a hospital, the staff were shocked that I had made it home. I had emergency surgery, which the surgeon described as the most complex ectopic surgery she had ever seen. I woke up screaming in pain. I had received so many pain medications that I required oxygen and continuous monitoring for the night. What was meant to be a day case surgery had me in hospital for one week as I had a haematoma post-surgery. Within 24 hours of being discharged I was readmitted with suspected sepsis from a cannula site cellulitis infection that was spreading rapidly. I spent another 4 days in hospital trying to get antibiotics into me but at this point every line kept failing and my veins were collapsing. It was the scariest experience of my life, and I feel lucky to be alive today.
I wish that the risk of ectopic pregnancy was on our minds as whilst it was going to be a traumatic experience no matter what, I think being home would have saved us from a lot of additional trauma. For this reason, I wish to spread awareness so people can make informed decisions on travelling during early pregnancy.
Thank you to Rebecca and Kieran for sharing her experience. If you would like to share your experience of ectopic pregnancy, please visit our guide for more information.
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