I was 21 years old when I got married. Three months later, I fell pregnant with my first pregnancy. I was so happy that we got pregnant, but something didn’t feel right. I had severe pain in my left lower abdomen and the doctors couldn’t diagnose what it was.
I went for a transvaginal scan and had blood taken, then was diagnosed with a large simple cyst of 7.8 cm with my pregnancy hormones at 17. The doctor diagnosed that I had a chemical pregnancy, and a large simple cyst containing fluid. They decided to wait for the pregnancy to resolve naturally.
Ten days later, I had another scan. The cyst had not shrunk like the doctors had hoped and instead had grown to around 8.2 cm. They told me I needed surgery, a called laparotomy (open surgery). It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. They removed the cyst and sent samples for biopsy. After surgery, I couldn’t move properly for about three months. I was totally bedridden for 3 months.
Then, time flew and in February 2022, I was pregnant. This time, when I experienced pain and spotting (bleeding) I went to my gynaecologist who did bloodwork. My pregnancy hormone levels were 271. The doctor said there was a possibility it could be an ectopic pregnancy, but it might not be. They monitored by bloodwork, my hormone levels increased rapidly, but I experienced some pain in my lower abdomen. They prescribed me medication to stop the bleeding.
I remember I had severe pain in my right shoulder blade with brownish/blackish discharge and had extreme abdominal and lower back pains. I was put on bed rest. My pregnancy hormone increased to 3600, I was so happy that my baby was growing in my womb, but sadly my joy was short-lived. They performed another ultrasound scan but couldn’t find the gestational sac in the uterus. They reassured me that it was still very early pregnancy, and that the ultrasound showed some positive signs. Because of this report, the doctors thought it was an intrauterine pregnancy and started me on progesterone and medication to strengthen my chances of a healthy pregnancy. I thought everything would be fine. It was 2.5 months, and I was pregnant with all the symptoms.
One night, I was feeling faint, had blurred vision, and was bleeding, I called my doctor, and she told me to go to the hospital immediately. In the hospital, they started giving me medication again to control the bleeding. But this time, I could feel my pulse dropping, and I felt weak, and everything was going dark. The staff immediately called the cardiologist to check and monitor my situation, and the nurses called my doctor and she said, “We will do one more scan, Maria. We will check what’s going on.”. I was so scared; I was only 22 years old. I was so depressed, I was crying out, “Please Allah save me.”.
The next morning, I had another transvaginal scan. They found an ectopic pregnancy in my right Fallopian tube, and there was blood leaking from my Fallopian tube. I was crying and panicking. My first scans had been wrong, the first report had been wrong and instead it was life-threatening.
I changed my doctor immediately. She said, “Don’t worry, we will see.”. Only my life was important. They started my treatment, medical management which was an injection called methotrexate. It was simply an injection, but that injection was the most painful thing, so painful. Within three to four hours, I was having headaches, stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting. Staff were also preparing me in case I needed surgery as I was in danger. I prayed to Allah.
Three days later, I had severe abdominal pain, it felt like I was having a baby. I was discharged from the hospital under observation after six days, and on day seven, my pregnancy hormones had begun to reduce. I was feeling happy saying thanks to Allah. Every week, I had my levels checked, and they continued to fall.
But 20 days later, I was experiencing severe pain in my stomach and shoulder. I was rushed to the hospital where they did some tests. I was diagnosed with urinary tract infection, sepsis and pus in my kidney. My bleeding continued, and I was admitted to the hospital again for five days and treated with antibiotics. For seven days, I was so weak; I couldn’t eat anything. I was in pain.
After 2.5 months, my bleeding stopped, and I started working on my health and diet. It was all such a traumatic experience.
In November 2023, my period was due. I did a pregnancy test, and it was positive. I feared my previous experience. The next morning, I went straight for blood tests, hoping everything would be fine. My pregnancy hormone showed 74.6, and my doctor started me on medication to give the pregnancy the best possible chance. medicine to make it stronger. I was also taking pain medication for abdominal pain. My pregnancy hormone continued to rise, we were happy, I felt that my pregnancy was safe and strong.
I began spotting brown watery discharge so called my doctor, and she said, “Don’t worry, it’s common in pregnancy.”. The next day, I had red blood. I started feeling extreme pain in my right shoulder blade. It was so extreme that I went to the emergency doctor. My vitals were normal, but my pain was not stable. They gave medication for the pain and performed both an ultrasound and transvaginal scan to confirm pregnancy. They once again found ectopic pregnancy in my right Fallopian tube. I was devastated.
I was sad, I cried a lot. This was my third time! I got admitted to the hospital, and they started me on medical management had had an injection of methotrexate. The painful injection numbed my whole leg. But I accepted my faith and believe in God that he will help me. Again, I went through the same pains and side effects. The doctor advised merest, and they checked and cared for me.
I hoped everything would be fine. I had bleeding and stiffness in my uterus and muscles, I was 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
My doctor advised me not to conceive naturally and go through the process of IVF. I’m only 24 years old, I’m scared, and I’m feeling low and tired of all this. But I am also thinking about my future. Everything will be fine, and I will have a healthy baby in the future.
Don’t lose hope. You are not alone in this. Sharing my feelings and experience will hopefully help someone, and this could even save a life. If you have any symptoms that are not normal, get medical advice. Save your life as this is life threatening, and yes, it will make you feel physically and emotionally weak. But it doesn’t mean life ends here.
Thank you to Maria 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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