How long to wait after an ectopic pregnancy

jessicag · Post by **jessicag** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:20 pm

Hello,
I have recently gone through having an ectopic pregnancy, I spent new years eve on hospital where they said there was a high chance of it being ectopic, after a few more tests unfortunately they discovered it was

I was lucky enough to be able to have a methotrexate shot, as my levels weren't too high, around 1000. I live in Barcelona and here it is procedure to get 2 methotrexate shots, 1 and then another on day 4. Which after research realised was quite stupid as I have read everywhere that on day 4 your levels are meant to go up as its the methotexate reacting with your cells and then they start to go down. Anyway I didn't know that till afterwards and have now had the 2 shots, which have worked! I found out today my levels were 2.2.
My main question is how long should I wait to try again? I keep reading in the UK they advise 3 months, but the doctors here have told me 6 months... which seems like a very long time. I have asked them why and they just tell me each country has their own protocols..
Has anyone else been told they need to wait 6 months?
I plan on also doing a fallopian cleanse and getting my folic acid levels back up and also being as healthy as possible in lead up to the next pregnancy.
Many Thanks

EPT Host 20 · Post by **EPT Host 20** » Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:04 pm

Dear jessicag,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
As we are a UK based charity, we can only comment on what is usual practice within the UK.

With Methotrexate, you should wait until your hCG levels have fallen to below 5mIU/mL (as yours have) and then take a folic acid supplement for 12 weeks before you try to conceive. This is because the Methotrexate may have reduced the level of folate in your body which is needed to ensure a baby develops healthily. The Methotrexate is metabolised quickly but it can affect the quality of your cells, including those of your eggs and the quality of your blood for up to three months after it has been given. The medicine can also affect the way your liver works and so you need to give your body time to recover properly before a new pregnancy is considered. A shortage of folate could result in a greater chance of a baby having a neural tube defect such as hare lip, cleft palate, or even spina bifida or other NT defects. This is why the "wait" and then taking folic acid for 12 weeks before trying to conceive is so important.

Some doctors (mistakenly) think that because they have administered a second dose of Methotrexate that that they must also double the recovery time for the body. However, even in a second dose of Methotrexate, the dosage is still much lower than for treatment of other conditions and is still metabolised by the body very quickly.
Therefore, provided that your doctors have not said otherwise for any specific circumstances in your case, as your hCG levels have fallen to non-pregnant levels you could start to take your folic acid straight away for 12 weeks.

I hope this helps,
Sending much love,
Karen x

**********************************************************************************************
If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?
Further information is available at www.ectopic.org.uk
Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.
Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).
Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team.
**********************************************************************************************

jessicag · Post by **jessicag** » Sun Feb 04, 2018 7:34 pm

Thanks so much Karen, thats very helpful and what i thought was the case x