How We Can Help

Discussion forums: A confidential community to help you feel less alone

We have medically overseen and moderated busy discussion forums enabling anyone who suspects they are having, or have had an ectopic pregnancy, easy access to information about the condition and a community of support. There is a link to the forum below. The forum also provides for those preparing for pregnancy, those who are pregnant after ectopic pregnancy, those taking alternative routes to parenthood, and spaces for men and members of the LGBTQ+ communities.

The discussion forums provide a private space to reach out to others and read other people’s posts. For confidentiality, you can register with a username and express yourself in a safe environment away from social media platforms. Please read and follow these rules to keep the forum a safe and supportive environment: https://ectopic.org.uk/discussion-forums

Through this confidential online community, you can connect with others and share experiences. It can help to know that your feelings are not unusual because others often express similar thoughts. Knowing the feelings are normal and expected and that you are not alone can relieve pressure and can help to make things feel a little easier to cope with.

Posting and offering support to others can help both you and those with whom you are chatting. Sharing stories can help to get things off your chest and can provide a positive feeling from helping someone else feel better. When people can say ‘yes I felt that too’ it can bring a huge sense of relief.

Telephone support line: Call-back service

Our telephone support is available if you feel you need to talk one-to-one to a sympathetic and understanding ear about your experience or to ask any questions. If you prefer, we can arrange a video call using Zoom.

Support calls are available to anyone that has been affected by ectopic pregnancy and can be arranged one-to-one, jointly as a couple or with a trusted support.

We provide a flexible call-back service and will get in touch to arrange a call at a convenient time. If you are located in the UK, you can request a call-back by leaving your details on our Request a Call-back page (link below) or calling our support line on 020 7733 2653 or 0300 102 0180.

*When requesting a call-back, you will be asked to provide your email address and mobile phone number so that we can get in touch with you. These details will be used by a support team member to contact you via text message or email to arrange a mutually convenient time for a call. If there are any issues with receiving text messages, please leave your email address only.

We aim to be in touch as quickly as we can, usually within 24-48 hours during the working week.

Email support

We try to answer questions that you may have within the information pages on the website, or you may find that someone has asked on the forum. If you have an unanswered question, you can email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Virtual support group through Zoom

Our virtual support means you can speak to others "face-to-face" from the comfort of your own home using a Zoom link. So that the group is small enough for everyone to be heard, spaces are limited to ten participants per session. Partners are very welcome.

We have open groups for anyone affected by ectopic pregnancy and partners are welcome too.

We also have dedicated groups for:

- partners (of any gender);
- women/people who have experienced more than one ectopic pregnancy; and
- anyone who has had ectopic pregnancies in locations other than in a Fallopian tube (ovarian/Caesarean section scar/heterotopic/cervical/abdominal/intramural/cornual)

If you are located in the UK, you can request to join a Zoom group session by providing your details through our Request a Call-back page (link below).

Zoom group dates and times

The form below (select link) sets out dates and times for upcoming Zoom groups. As well as groups that are open for all, there are dedicated groups just for partners and for people who have had more than one ectopic pregnancy. You can book onto one of the upcoming sessions for any of these Zoom groups by completing the form with your details.

Live chat through Skype

Accessing online chat is simple and convenient, enabling written (typed) conversation in real-time. It is delivered through Skype, which you can access via an app on your phone, in real-time.

If you would like to request a Live Chat session, please email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Emergency services

The EPT does not provide medical advice and are not an emergency service; however we can point you to some of the emergency services available. If you are experiencing symptoms of ectopic pregnancy or signs of infection following treatment, have a medical concern or feel you need to speak with someone urgently, please contact your doctor or health care provider. You can call the NHS 111 service by dialling 111, contact your out-of-hours doctors’ service or your normal doctors’ surgery, or call or visit your local Accident and Emergency department (A&E).

The Samaritans offers a 24-hour service in the UK, if you are distressed and need to speak with someone immediately.

Please see our Get Help page for all of the services available.

Treatment leaflets

Download our free leaflets. Produced in consultation with doctors, nurses, and people with lived experience of ectopic pregnancy, each leaflet contains information about the relevant treatment method and what to expect during the recovery process. We also have a leaflet on Pregnancy of Unknown Location.

If you are based in the UK and would like to view electronic versions or receive copies by post, please visit our Leaflets page.

If you have been treated at a hospital, please let us know which one – we can confidentially get in touch with the hospital unit to offer these leaflets free of charge for them to give to anyone who has a possible ectopic pregnancy or been diagnosed with the condition.

Supporting you in your first language

If your first language is not English and you are based in the UK, we can work with a professional interpreter to assist. If you require an interpreter (including BSL), please let us know when requesting a call-back. Please note: service is available to UK-based callers.

Using Relay UK

This service is like a three-way call with conversation sent to you by text that you read on-screen. You can use Relay UK through an app on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, or through textphone, by dialling a prefix before the phone number, when the person you are calling answers, the Relay Assistant will introduce the call and type the other person’s response to you. You can then type your reply or, if you are able to speak, talk through the phone as you would normally.

You can download the app and link with your phone number to make calls now.

Working alongside a BSL interpreter

This service is like a three-way call with conversation conveyed to you by a British Sign Language interpreter on-screen. We can work alongside a professional interpreter known to you for your comfort or can arrange this with SignVideo.

Alternatively, you can call us in BSL using SignVideo or send a text message to 07537416085, letting us know your needs and a member of the support team will get in touch.

Supporting people with sight difficulties

We can support you if you are a Blind or visually-impaired person. The Royal National Institute of Blind People states that some screen reading software can be available free of charge. A screen reader is designed for computer, laptop, smartphone and tablet users who have little or no useful vision. It can be downloaded from specific websites or is built into an operating system. This can help to access the content on our website.

We can arrange a support line call and read sections of the website and talk through any questions, thoughts, and emotions that you have.