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Resolving ectopic

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Jaz345
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 12, 2020 9:41 am

Resolving ectopic

Post by Jaz345 »

I’m hoping someone can provide me some advice. I’m 32 years old and found out I was pregnant on 31 March 2020. When I was 6 weeks pregnant I experienced spotting and so was booked in for an emergency scan. They could not see anything at all but said this could be because I was a few days earlier that what we thought in which case everything all looked ok. They took a blood test to monitor my HGC levels and booked me for a second test 2 days later to compare. That afternoon sadly I started heavy bleeding. My blood test results came in at 667 on my first test and then 656 48 hours later. They told me that unfortunately it was looking likely that I was misscarrying. I was booked another blood test 48 hours later. Again, they only fell by about 100. 7 blood tests later (some 7 days apart as they were falling so slowly) and I went back for another scan. This was 5 days ago. At this point my previous HGC levels showed at 276 (4 weeks later from my first scan and bleed). The nurse said she was not happy at the level in which they were falling and wanted to re scan me. On the scan she said my uterus is not consistent with a miscarriage as everything looked normal, and that in fact she could see a small ectopic in my right tube. She also mentioned the measurements of each ovary (the right being larger as this is the one that fertilised) and the measurement of the cyst (I queried this and said why do I have a cyst and she said it’s normal when you become pregnant and actually it’s a ‘pregnancy cyst’). So, she was worried and sent for my 8th blood test to come back urgent. That afternoon the levels were now showing 57! A drop by 200! She was happy that the ectopic was resolving itself and just told me to do a pregnancy test in a week and it will show negative.
My question is this- why did she see on my scan a small ectopic in my tube that afternoon if the levels were already so low? And, surely they will want to re scan me to make sure this blockage is gone to avoid this happening again? Also, I am 5 days later and still showing a positive test. Very quickly as well! So after 5 days of my levels being in there 50’s why is this happening? It’s all very stressful and confusing. I’ve not miscarried or had an ectopic pregnancy before and this was to be my first child. I am now concerned going forward that there will still be a blockage in my tube and that no one really is bothering to check things over properly. I would like to try again as quickly as possible and want my body to recover ASAP but it’s very difficult when I don’t really know what’s going on with it, up until 5 days ago they said it was a misscarriage (that went on for 4 weeks)! And now they are saying it’s ectopic but they don’t need to intervene. When am I likely to ovulate again and what should I do?

EPT Host 20
Posts: 3155
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 10:58 pm

Re: Resolving ectopic

Post by EPT Host 20 »

Dear Jaz345,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss and the confusing time you are going through and I will try my best to help.

I'm sorry if this is a little difficult to read, but it may help explain things a little more. With treatment for ectopic pregnancy through expectant management, when the pregnancy is ended, the whole pregnancy sac including any cells that might have grown into a baby is usually reabsorbed by the body. This is normal and happens in many cases of miscarriage. This process can take weeks and sometimes months. In some cases, the Fallopian tube may remain blocked and take time to shrink, which is why they may be able to see it on scan still.
It is not common practice to rescan in the UK and we at the Trust advise waiting for two menstrual cycles before TTC again which will allow additional time for any blockages to shrink. It is also important to allow time for your body to recover and emotions to surface and be worked through. This is so that you have some comfort that your body is returning to its natural rhythm and you have a last menstrual period date from which to date a new pregnancy - key information in checking you are not suffering from an ectopic pregnancy in the future. The first bleed soon after surgery for ectopic pregnancy is not classed as a period as it is the body's response to falling hormone levels.
Importantly early scans avail. As soon as you know you are pregnant, contact your local EPU to inform them and book in for an early scan at around six weeks. Remind them of your previous ectopic pregnancy. This self refer route is the best route in our view. Hopefully you will have some comfort to know you are under the radar of medical professionals right away.

Home pregnancy tests are quite sensitive and if your hCG is still at 50, it will still show positive.

Regarding ovulation, your periods can take a while to re-establish and they can re-start once hCG levels have fallen below about 100mIU/mL and most women find that their period arrives some time in the four weeks after their hCG levels have fallen to 0. Before having a period you have to ovulate and it is possible to become pregnant without having a proper period first, if you are not using contraception. As previously mentioned, we and many doctors advise waiting at least two menstrual cycles before trying to conceive to allow time for your body to heal and emotions to surface.

We have more information on treatment of ectopic pregnancy with expectant management here
https://ectopic.org.uk/patients/treatment/

Above all, be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally.
We will be here for you for as long as you need.
Sending much love,
Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
Registered Charity Number: 1071811

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