Just for future reference.. pregnancy after ectopic?

[happyhomemaker25]

So, I test every month now as soon as I am a day late. I'm so worried about my remaining tube since I lost one with my ectopic in September.

I had a positive in Feb, but two days later started passing clots so it was not meant to be. It was not too bad emotionally. I did spend that weekend wondering what I should do as far as Dr. wise. I was only about 4 weeks. I read somewhere that even with an ectopic history most OBs would not see you until you were 6-8 weeks. I was about 10 weeks when I lost my baby and my right fallopian tube. 8 weeks seems to be pushing it.

What can I expect if/when I get pregnant again?

Does this question even make sense?

My due date would have been April 7, Easter weekend. So not looking forward to that date.

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

:grouphug:First of all I am so sorry about your losses.

 

You are in my prayers, and I would suggest going to get a check up.

I had an ectopic in December 99, and had no idea until I was in so much pain and looked like I was 6 months pregnant within a few hours. I went on icy roads to the ER where my OBGYN came and made me stay overnight in the maternity ward and said it was not an emergency. He did surgery to see the next day and was bumfuzzled... he said I had no damage to tubes but there was a mass of tissue outside the tube. I guess he did not do a d & c, because after that, I started bleeding non stop for several weeks. My insurance was dropped so I waited almost too late to go to the local HD where they wante to put me on birth control pills. I refused that, and they got very angry with me. Still, I did take some magnesium, and herbs for women's hormones and got straightened out, then got pregnant again.

 

 

My twin sister had 2 ectopics in 1 year and lost 1 tube. A few months later she had a normal pregnancy.

 

I had the most physically difficult year last year with endometriosis, and kept thinking I was pregnant but it was extreme PMS. I ended up having surgery to diagnose and remove several lesions in my uterus, but it is also in my bladder and intestines. So, I got pregnant within 5 weeks after surgery and this is my roughest pregnancy ever. I have been in bed for the most part of 4 weeks... one problem after another... had morning sickness, flu, and hurt my back, just getting over a double kidney and bladder infection... have pain like no other pregnancy, and am contemplating a hysterectomy after this baby.

 

None of us is alike, but I hope you get healing and help soon too.

[Carrie12345]

I was referred by my midwives for a vaginal ultrasound the day after I tested positive with my post-ectopic pregnancy. I had another scan about a week or so later to be doubly sure my remaining tube wasn't hiding anything extra. After that, it was pretty much same old, same old.

[Carrie12345]

Adding: I ruptured at about 6 weeks, nearly a week after getting the MTX shot. I would NOT be comfortable waiting with a post-ectopic pregnancy.

[happyhomemaker25]

Adding: I ruptured at about 6 weeks, nearly a week after getting the MTX shot. I would NOT be comfortable waiting with a post-ectopic pregnancy.

 

This was my feeling as well.

[PeacefulChaos]

So, I test every month now as soon as I am a day late. I'm so worried about my remaining tube since I lost one with my ectopic in September.

I had a positive in Feb, but two days later started passing clots so it was not meant to be. It was not too bad emotionally. I did spend that weekend wondering what I should do as far as Dr. wise. I was only about 4 weeks. I read somewhere that even with an ectopic history most OBs would not see you until you were 6-8 weeks. I was about 10 weeks when I lost my baby and my right fallopian tube. 8 weeks seems to be pushing it.

What can I expect if/when I get pregnant again?

Does this question even make sense?

My due date would have been April 7, Easter weekend. So not looking forward to that date.

 

Well, I got pg with DD the month before I would have been due with my ep. :) I was totally freaked out, I went in at 4 weeks but only saw the nurse practitioner, got the regular first appointment stuff out of the way, but we couldn't do anything at that point to determine whether or not it was another ep. (I go to a hospital 1.5 hours away, so going up there 48 hours later for a beta hcg level draw was out of the question, and they never brought it up). I went back at 7 weeks, and by that point was feeling a little more confident - I had an u/s and it was determined that DD was where she was supposed to be. :) (They also discovered a cyst that they wanted to keep an eye on, so I had 3 more u/s through the course of the pg - found out DD was DD at 16 weeks - good thing I made DH go with me to that one!)

By the time I reached 7 weeks, I was more confident because I figured out what my ep was at about 4-5 weeks. I had just gotten a positive test that January 20 (I have a mind for dates, lol), knew something was off on the 24th, and went in to the ER on the 26th. They really were useless in the ER, tried to tell me a) most people don't even know they're pregnant when they are that far along (which is silly to me - maybe some don't, but when you are late, and aren't on bc...who doesn't check?) b) I wasn't as far along as I thought (because they were basing it on hcg levels, which are NOT an accurate read on how far along someone is. And trust me, I was very well aware of my lmp, tyvm!) and c) I was probably just having a miscarriage. But they did get me in to see someone on the 28th (that Monday), where they did the hcg level and determined it wasn't doing what it was supposed to (leading to going back a couple more times that week, etc, etc... you know the drill). So anyway, all that to say that getting to 7 weeks and feeling pretty normal for a pregnancy had me feeling a lot better about it.

[gracesteacher]

My experience with my etopic baby was I had thought I miscarried had a dnc just in case they did an ultrasound to check the tubes and nothing. At my brothers wedding my tube exploded I was about 10 weeks. I went on to have another miscarriage a year later. I am over 35 and he told me that when i get a positive he wants me to call so they can get the blood work going so we can track the numbers. With my last miscarriage we did blood work till my numbers were zero.

[Daisy]

So, I test every month now as soon as I am a day late. I'm so worried about my remaining tube since I lost one with my ectopic in September.

I had a positive in Feb, but two days later started passing clots so it was not meant to be. It was not too bad emotionally. I did spend that weekend wondering what I should do as far as Dr. wise. I was only about 4 weeks. I read somewhere that even with an ectopic history most OBs would not see you until you were 6-8 weeks. I was about 10 weeks when I lost my baby and my right fallopian tube. 8 weeks seems to be pushing it.

What can I expect if/when I get pregnant again?

Does this question even make sense?

My due date would have been April 7, Easter weekend. So not looking forward to that date.

 

That surprises me. I had an ectopic and lost my tube. I saw a OB specialist because I was also having fertility issues. He had a standing order for me to go get a blood test whenever I was more than 1 week late for my cycle (which happened frequently since I'm so irregular). I think part of that is because you can get false negatives with ectopics. I was also immediately scheduled for a vaginal ultrasound as soon as the blood work came back positive.

 

I wouldn't wait.

[Impish]

I had an ectopic back in '03.

 

Every time I've had a postive test since, I'm immed sent for a vaginal u/s, and even had to have it repeated until they could for sure see a viable pregnancy in the uterus.

 

No way in Hades would any OB or GP I've ever known suggest waiting.

 

I was told that detecting an ectopic early makes the diff btwn surgery and methotrexate (sp).

 

I had a conservative surgery (they saved the tube) and went on to have Tazzie, Princess, and Boo...that was after surgery, and methotrexate later (HcG levels never went back to 0)

[BakersDozen]

 

I read somewhere that even with an ectopic history most OBs would not see you until you were 6-8 weeks.

This would be negligent, IMO. I've been pg 8 times since my ectopic in 2001 and I was sent for blood testing the day I got my +hpt. A stat is always put on the order (the reason I almost lost my tube and quite possibly my life is because my OB during my ectopic ordeal refused to order my test stat and in fact didn't get my hcg results until 5 days after I got tested, 4 days after emergency surgery :( ). Follow-up testing is done every two days until an u/s confirms a viable pregnancy (or confirms a loss). U/S happen as soon as a sac can be seen (about 5 weeks) and every week thereafter until about 9 weeks. I wouldn't let a doctor refuse to see me until 6-8 weeks no matter how many successful pregnancies I have post-ectopic.

[happyhomemaker25]

Ok, that makes me feel much better. I have an appt at the end of the month for a regular checkup. I'll talk to my OB more then. I thought I was crazy, but that's google for you. I know better than to google, but that's what happens when you take a pregnancy test on Friday. I spent that whole weekend using google.