I fell pregnant in December 2023, and we were so excited. I then had a lot of pain and felt generally unwell for around four weeks but kept being told to just keep an eye on things by doctors, as I was unable to be scanned until I was six weeks pregnant. I attended the hospital emergency department on multiple occasions, only to be told I was fine and asked to come back if things worsened (I was in so much pain for weeks on and off).
On 2 January, I became really unwell at work. I was vomiting, suffering from dizziness and fainting, and experiencing extreme stomach and shoulder pain… little did I know I was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured. I arrived at the hospital at 12pm, and by 5pm, I was rushed down for surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy, stop the internal bleeding, and, unfortunately, remove one of my Fallopian tubes. It all felt like a blur. I was told that emergency surgery was essential or I could lose my life due to the amount of internal bleeding, which was just horrific.
The scariest thing was knowing I was being put to sleep for surgery and just hoping and praying I would wake up from it. Fortunately, the surgery was a success. However, I lost over three litres of blood and had to have transfusions, regular blood tests, and iron infusions for the following five to six weeks.
Fast forward a few months, after some mental and physical healing, I fell pregnant again in September 2024. This pregnancy was planned, and again, we were so excited. I felt nervous after what happened in January but felt positive. I then experienced the same shoulder tip pain I had in January – what I now knew from unfortunate prior experience was a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy. I attended the hospitals emergency department, where I had blood tests and scans, and due to being so early in the pregnancy, they were unable to detect if this was an ectopic pregnancy. Therefore, I continued to have blood tests every 48 hours. I was then scanned and told there was no sign of any pregnancy mass in the womb, and it was looking likely to be another ectopic, but they couldn’t locate where the pregnancy tissue was.
I was then advised that the best course of action was to undergo investigative surgery to see if they could detect an ectopic pregnancy early to prevent it from becoming life-threatening again, so I underwent another laparoscopy. However, they unfortunately couldn’t detect anything. I continued with 48-hour monitoring, living in hope that everything would be okay and that they would see something on a scan in the womb – but they didn’t, and my hCG levels (a hormone produced in pregnancy) kept rising to a point where they had to act as things were, yet again, becoming dangerous.
I had a methotrexate injection (medical management) to avoid the loss of another Fallopian tube, which didn’t work. I then experienced a lot more pain, so I was admitted to hospital for monitoring due to the danger of a rupture and my history. My hCG levels kept rising, and they located the ectopic pregnancy at around nine weeks in my remaining Fallopian tube – after nine weeks of constant monitoring, not knowing if things were going to be okay. After weeks of what felt like a living nightmare, I was told I needed yet another surgery, two weeks after my last one, to remove the foetus. Thankfully, I was able to keep my remaining Fallopian tube.
After what has been such an emotional and traumatic year, I absolutely never thought this would happen once, let alone twice. Not only are you grieving for that little someone you wanted so badly and who has been ripped away from you, but you also have to deal with the trauma of potentially losing your life and being on a daily emotional rollercoaster – living in hope but knowing deep down something isn’t right. You’re pregnant but won’t be soon. Then comes the sadness while trying to recover emotionally and physically.
I had never really known what an ectopic pregnancy was or how fatal it can be if it isn’t detected quickly.
If I could say one thing.....
If you know something isn’t right go with your gut and be persistent or it could be fatal. Allow yourself time to feel how you feel.
Thank you to Steph 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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