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Hi all, I found out recently that I had an ectopic pregnancy - I have received treatment by the form of a methotrexate injection. I really wanted to know if anyone else had experience of this that they could share with me. It can be quite scary going through it and not knowing what will happen. Thanks in advance girls - I know how informative you lot are!! XXXX
ps sorry to the mods if this in the the wrong place - I couldn't find any posts about ectopics?!
I went thru this is Oct 02
please what ever you do make sure you are taking 5mgs folic acid and dont fall pg within a year of last injection
we weren't told of side effects nor told to go on 5mgs folic acid not trying to scare you but the methotextrate completely robs you body of folic acid stores and take a good year on the 5mgs to get up to a good level again (as you know folic acid helps to prevent NTD in babies)
:hugs:
Thanks for that Rachel - I have actually been told its dangerous to take folic acid when getting the injection - and it only stays in your system for 3 months - advice on leaflet says to wait 6 weeks but we were going to stay on the safe side of 3 months. In all honesty I don't feel like TTC for a good long while - just want my body to recover first. Can I ask if you bled and how long it took to start/stop?? Sorry if TMI - please PM me if thats better. XXX
ps I was just thinking that maybe because its over 5 yrs ago since you went through it - maybe they have changed the guidelines now.!??!
I had 2 injections after 2nd I think it took 5 days if anything now it wasn't that bad in comparison to my natural m/c in mar 05
the reason I mention waiting a year is we fell pg in the april of 03 our little girl was s/b @21 weeks due to NTD anecephaly the OB said to us after reading our chart says were you not told to wait a year, because of the folic acid depletion, we didn't know we were told wait 2 cycles after intial bleed, although many other enviromental issues may have cause Katy's NTD things I have read show the depletion of folic acid is a major cause of anencephaly so in saying that I beleive falling pg so soon after was a major factor
I am no medical expert just going by our experience
again :hugs: I am so sorry to hear of people going thru this
Thanks Rachel - Well I had the choice of either the injection or removing the tube - I opted for the 'chicken' approach and took the injection - but it has really knocked me for six!!! So tired - am sleeping constantly and hate the nausea!!!
Its not a pleasant experience but I am just glad about my tube not rupturing really.
Thanks for your help - I'm going back on Thursday and will ask heaps more questions!!
xxx
Hi Carah,
I am ever so very sorry for the loss of your angel... I too had an ectpoic pregnancy in 2006, though my right tube ruptured with massive internal bleeding... anyways even though I lost my right tube you can still conceive just as well as your tubes do move around so e.g if my right ovary was o'ing then the lefty tube can move across to collect the eggie :) clever huh..... anyways I know that your situation is different to mine but I want to send you BIG hugs hun and hope that you and your dh get through this difficlut time xx
Hi Chepie
Thanks so much for your post! I think the main thing was I was in no pain/ had no free fluid etc and even though my hcg levels were high (6600) for the methotrexate - they still thought I'd be ok. I did however spend 8 hours in emergency yesterday (oh joy!!) because I felt truly sick and had pains down my right sade (arms and legs) - I was discharged ok though and still no rupturing and the hcgs are happily reducing. So I'm quite thankful I didn't have the whole ruptured thing (I can't imagine how painful that was for you). I'm so sorry about your loss too. To be honest I feel very positive and we're giving TTC'ing a break for about a year then will get back when I feel my body has got back to normal. I think the hardest thing about ectopic is your poor body stills feels like its pregnant (I have blue veins everywhere!!!!) and I just want to be back to normal now. Are you TTC'ing again now? Sending you happy vibes anyway honey!!! :D
XXXXX
ps very impressed with the whole moving tubes etc....funnily enough if you loose a tube you chances of conception only go down by 10% not 50% like most people think - because the body understands whats going on...etc....'very' interesting!!!!
Hi Carah,
Wishing you all the best with ttc in near future! Sorry to hear about the pain sweetie... glad to hear that you are so postive xxx We have a lovely son Aiden who is 4.5 months old- and while we aren't actively ttc we aren't being too careful either :p
Take care hun and GL xx
Hi ladies
I too had noticed that there did not seem to be any threads re ectopic pregnancies, so am glad that a thread was started!
I too suffered an ectopic pregnancy in March 2007. I had symptoms for days - massive pains in the right side - I initially woke up with these pains at 2am one morning - went on for about 5 days. My DH is actually a DR and told me I was to take laxatives (!!!!!!) as that would be my problem - I was too early along for the preg to manifest as ectopic. (I believe ectopic pregnancies often don't give trouble until about 8 weeks?) Anyway - a few days after this I had a slight bleed, and insisted on going to hospital (given I had had a spontaneous miscarriage the year before - which AGAIN, was not taken seriously at the time).
Anyway - it was quickly diagnosed and I ended up having to have surgery - I was never given the option of methotrexate. I have only recently heard about it as being an option. Obviously I was too far along in terms of rupture risk though - my gynae said if I had not presented within about 12 to 24 hours there would have been a massive rupture. I was rather devastated to lose the right tube - and had been told about the remaining tube migrating about - however, I have never been able to find research on this.
It is a horrendous experience, isn't it?
Tracy
I had methotrexate last year, but not for an ectopic, for a blighted ovum. It took about 10 days for the bleed to start...then I bled on and off for another 8 weeks and took all that time for my HCG levels to drop (they never got that high in the first place either!). IT was painless, but just took ages to be over. I only had to wait 3 cycles before being able to ttc again.
Hope you are looking after yourself :)
Hi all,
This does NOT occur. The tubes do exhibit some movement but like your skin they can only move so far. The tubes do not reach around and collect eggs from opposite ovaries.
Husband who is an RN.
I just wanted to clear something up about the MTX and Folate - No you don't take it on the same DAY as your MTX dose, you take it two days afterwards. Say if you had MTX on Monday, you would start taking your Folate (5mg) on Wednesday, and then for the next 3 days. MTX and Foalte cannot be in your system at the same time. You need to stop folate 2 days before the MTX when it's time for your next dose. For my situation I take MTX on Saturday, then start folate on Mon-Thurs, giving me a 'rest' day on Fri before my next MTX on Sat.
Hi all,
Counting days - I am 20 weeks pregnant at the moment and I lost my left tube in April last yr due to it rupturing severely from an ectopic preg (I almost bled to death as I was misdiagnosed - very scary stuff!). I'm not too sure about the whole tubes moving bit, but with this pregnancy I actually ovulated from my left ovary (this is where the "ring of fire" or "dominant follicle" showed up on the ultrasound) both my obstetrician and the sonographer who did the scan said that it is possible to still fertilise the egg from that ovary even though there is no tube on that side for it to travel through - they told me that the egg can make its way down the opposite tube... natures way of making up for the missing tube I guess?
I have just had my 7 day check up after MTX my levels have dropped by over 50% so I have been given the all clear.
The whole ectopic experience was horrible pain nausea and vomiting. I am lucky it was picked up early as no need for the surgery option.
We now have to wait 3 months before trying again due to the possible side effects of the MTX. No need for folate for the time being. Not to happy about having to wait after I had IUD removed I will need to go on the pill for 3 months but I guess this is better than the possible birth defects in any pregnancy before the MTX is out of my system.
in reply to your letters .. i was told i had an eptopic pregnancy a week ago the baby was growing in my right ovarie but by hcg levels were still quite low 1285 at first they gave me the option of an op but i went for the injection .... i only had it yesterday i feel sick and could sleep for england .... i have experianced a small amount of pain but have managed it with co-codamol and a hot water bottle ..... i feel like i need to rest all the time though ...is this normal ?? i also have fears even though iv been told that it looks as though the egg is dying even before i had treatment i still feel like im a ticking time bomb ... its an awful feeling ..... im so glad this is being mentioned as feel like im very much alone ... i have 2 lovely girls and keep being told i should think myself lucky ? i do but i have such a sense of loss and my hormones are every where ... feel like im on full spin on washing machine .... sorry for going on
Sorry to tell you but you will feel like crap for awhile yet and sleep will be your best friend.
I have been bleeding for amount a month now wish it would stop as really over it now.
thought it would prob go on for a while ... thanks for the advice
the tiredness and nausea are side effects of the MTX, they should soon pass for you. Make sure you drink loads of water to ease the burden on your liver and kidneys :hug::
really??? thank you for advice ... i thought i was going mad iv been getting really thirsty lately .. im going for my first blood test tomorrow since my injection iv ached quite a bit but kept on top of it with painkillers .... thanks for advice on drinking shame they didnt tell me at hospital ??
hi everyone dont know if u have any advice for me .... i had the mtx injection 5 days ago but my levels have risen ... not by alot im still only 1294 and before the inj i was 1205 .. the hospital said that they expect this to happen and not to worry ( but i cant help it ) and now on the 5th day im wiping away samll amounts of blood ... can this happen so early ... when iv rang the hospital they have asked if im in pain ... of course i feel a bit and they are gone in a second as i can quite happily control it with painkillers .... if there was something wrong then i know that i would seriously know it .... but im not gettin that much info from the hospital ....... so dont know what to expect ... thanks girls for ur help .... to be honest reading on here is priceless....:pray:
hi just wondering how other people are going after the dose of MTX
I had mine early Jan and I am still bleeing so much as it all being over soon
2009 so far has not been a good year
sorry to hear your still suffering ... i had mine nearly 3 weeks ago now ..... and iv also had constant bleeding, not always heavy but there when u go to the loo !! also have experianced a brown discarge ( sorry to be graphic ) but my hospital have been great and told me all normal ....!!!! hows your pain been i was unfortunatly admitted last week with terrible pains but was checked over and because my hcg levels have nearly halfed in 2 weeks they were more then happy ... so was just given some stronger pain killers ... which seem to work ....!! this injection does seem to feel a long drawn out process but i think its alot better for us in the end .... i hope u start feeling yourself again soon ..:D
Hi Everyone!
I am in the midst of recovering from and ectopic. In January I had a very unusual period (heavy and long) prior I though I might be pregnant but when the period came I assumed I wasn't. When the period was strange I assumed it might have been an early miscarriage. Purely by accident I found out about the pregnancy! I went to visit a new doctor and he took blood for general purposes and called me with the surprising news that I am or was pregnant. Long story short after 2 ultrasounds and increasing HCG levels I was sent to the hospital where I received methtrxate. My ectopic did not come with any pain so I am really thankful. I was about 8 weeks so it is amazing that I felt nothing. I am in week 3 post injection and my HCG levels are coming down from 1200 to now 39 which is totally awesome. When it all happened I was just thankful to be ok and that we actually conceived (had doubts as husband has had chemo and radiation in the past). Most recently I am now super emotional and moody. Is this normal? I am scared for the future and now have crazy anxiety! I am caught off gaurd as this seems to be a delayed reaction. Anyway would love to know if this is normal. I am sad for the loss but in reality feel blessed to know I was pregnant so I don't know why I am now such a volatile mess!
Thanks!!!
hi teme
sorry for your loss, feeling like crap no not normal but yes that is how I feel also hope yours and mine ends soon
hi teme
I too am at the end of my treatment with the methotrexate inj .... my levels are now down to 65 and hopefully this will be the final blood test that i need this week .... im also suffering quite badly from anxiety dont get me wrong im very happy that this coming to an end .. but also im very sad because i think it is just hitting me on whats happened ,, i feel that everything goes so fast were they rush you into hospital that your feet dont get a chance to touch the ground ... but also i feel that hormones play a huge part in this ... im blessed that i already have 2 children and need to keep busy with them but some days i just want to lie in bed all day .... hopefully this is part and parcel of it and will all come to an end for all of us very soon ....... :pray:
Terrible that this is what has happened to all of us but I must say it is comforting to know my feelings are normal. I wake up with such great anxiety every day and this morning before I really woke up I started repeating in my head "positive thoughts and healing hands" over and over again. I was trying not to let my anxiety take over and I must say it kinda helped a bit.
Do any of you ladies still feel run down? I ran before this whole event and now haven't run in over a month and feel like it would be a huge undertaking. I was hoping to use the time while we can't TTC to drop a few more pounds and get healthier but this fatique is not helping. I also wonder if it is fatique or am I a little depressed?
Are any of you going to TTC again? How long are you going to wait? Have you been advised of any tests that should be done priopr? I just want to get all my ducks in a row.
Also I am sure all of us would love to hear succes stories of healthy pregnancies after an ectopic.
I hope you all have a good day. I will be repeating my mantra throughout the day to see if it helps me!
i can not be bothering doing anything always feel tired and sit on the couch most of the day
also unemployed trying to find a new job in this stupid stuffed up world where their is no work at them moment I lost my job as I could not work due to loss, boss was an arse
We are going to TTC again but must wait at least 3 months to avoid birth defects no tests that can be done just need to wait and hope for the best
Still very angry and upset also due to the lack of support from family
An ectopic is almost like it never happened to photos no ultrasound no pregnancy and baby but still the loss of hopes and dreams
Dear Counting Days,
I am sorry that you don't have the support of family and friends. Truthfully I think you only truly have sympathy is you have gone through this yourself. People try to be understanding but always sedem to fall short. At least you know we all know what you are going through.
One day at a time seems to be my best approach I have learned that I don't want to live to far in the future it only causes stress as we all know things don't always go the way you intended.
I have a question for any of you. I had a terrible night last night. I have had a dull ache in my left side for weeks leading up to ectopic diagnosis which is ironically on the opposite side of my ectopic. Last night I had terrible tightness and cramping in my lower abs. I never went to the doctors because there wasn't more bleeding then normal. The more I think about the pain I think it might be eith a kidney stone or a UTI. Did any of you experience anything like this? I am going to the early pregnancy clinic tomorrow for follow up on HCG levels and thought I would check with them and if they can't help I could go to emerg in the hospital. The pain is much less today. Still uncomfortable to pee. Tummy is not sore to the touch it just feels heavy. One thing after another it seems. Good thing I am on holidays this week. Oh well if anyone can relate I would love to hear back.
So I don't have UTI. Feeling a lot better then I did a few days ago. I am still taking cranberry juice cause I want to keep things moving well. My lower abs aren't nearly as sore and my bleeding is reduced but still spotting. It feels weird to go through so much discomfort with no answer. It could be part of the process after the ectopic. I am still exhausted! Can anyone who has been through this tell me how long they felt yucky? What can I do to help myself feel better physically? I still don't feel like resuming running which would be my normal pick me up. HELP!!!!!
Hi Teme. I hope you don't mind me answering as I've not gone through what you have, but I do take MTX so hopefully I can give you some help on that front. One of the common side effects of MTX is that it can make you feel the way you are feeling, tired and wrung out. It will probably last as long as the MTX is still in your system. You can help yourself by making sure that you drink plenty of water each day to help you system detox itself and eating as well as you can and getting plenty of rest. And naturally you are still going to be on the hormonal rollercoaster that pg puts you on, so it may take a while for you to be back to your normal self again.
I would say for me it took a good 2 months to start to feel better (I had one injection) had it mid oct by xmas I was feeling stronger HTH :comfort:
Thanks ladies!!!
I really appreciate your information as the hospital doesn't tell you about the longer term affects. Iguess it is different for everyone. At least you have calmed my anxiety that I am not totally losing my mind. My spirits are fairly good most of the time but with all the side affects recently I was wondering if I was experiencing signs of depression (have had in the past). I will just do as you both recommended and hopefully I will find myself again. Thank you again I really appreciate your feedback.
No worries hun. I imagine that they wouldn't really tell you a lot about side effects at the time because you don't have any choice but to have it, but it would be nice if they could tell you how you could expect to feel so you aren't left wondering why you feel the way you do.
Dear All,
Hello I have just joined this site and find it very informative and you can tell that everyone helps each other out which is a good feeling.
Just wanted to share my loss, I had a Coil fitted in 2006 shortly after I had my daughter and it had worked perfectly for years no problems. To cut a long story short I suffered an Eptoic Pregnancy in my right tube.
in Oct 2008 and as I was in the very early stages less than 6 weeks the doctor thought that it would be more ideal to give me the injection. I had this done the first dose did not work, my HCG levels were still high, so had to go back and have a second dose which worked and then every week I had to go back and have blood tests.
I found the doctors and Nurses were not very helpful at all and I don?t really think they can ever understand how we feel. I admit I asked 100 questions and maybe a few of the same but quite frankly I was scared of what the future held for us in terms of having another healthy child.
However, I was told not to try for 3 months and take Folic acid for 3 months and continue in the pregnancy that?s if I ever get there. I am not sure what happening with my right tube if it could be scarred or damaged in some way so I went to my Gp and asked for a scan to see what the condition my tube is in?
My DH and I have been trying since January and nothing has happened yet I am so stressed mentally and feel so emotional I can barley talk with my colleagues at work, as I am normally vibrant person it has knocked me for 6 I might add. I don?t even know if I can conceive again? And what my chances are? I am so scared that the Eptoic could have damaged my other tube in some way? I am all over the place in a state of confusion???
When I ovulate I do from the right side so this could affect me if my right tube is damaged so bad I may need to have it removed.
I can?t see light at the end of the tunnel here? It?s painful.
I wish you all the best of luck I understand how life must be for some of you as I have been there but have faith and one day you will get that baby that you all so want.
PLEASE forgive me if I sound depressed I am just going through so much and its nice to let all my feelings out thanks for reading guys any advice welcome.:D
Do not apologize! You have every right to feel the way you do. You are right it is an emotional rollercoaster. They say that people who have had ectopics and treated with methotrexate are usually ok to conceive. So you are waiting to get info about your right tube? How about your left? I know it is hard to be patient but I am sending you positive thoughts!
I took about this long to feel better too. My cycle was a bit bit messed up for longer but I felt okay.:
Hmmm Interesting. It is weird because you have moments of feeling kinda normal and then wham ya feel like crap!
Hi Teme, thanks for your postings I must say I feel a bit better today I hope that I stay this way for a while but as you know its up and down with your emotions.:
I am not sure about my left tube? I am hoping that it is not damaged in anyway! I have an appointment in April where Dye will be put in me and it will tell if my tubes are blocked or not!!! I cant wait as the waiting is so depressing at least when I know whats going on I can have a plan B but right now its Limbo Limbo.. I will keep you all informed thanks again. :p
Hi all,
I am glad I found this website. It is really good hearing others experiences.
I went to the doctors with what I thought was appendicitis. He did a urine test and told me that I was pregnant but it was possibly etopic. I was to go straight to the hospital where they ruled out everything except for etopic. That was on the Sat and I had to wait till Mon to get a scan done as I was only 5 weeks. Once the scan was done I was sent straight to emergency with definent etopic. They gave me morphine to help with the pain then later the methotrexate single dose as my HCG level was around 5200. I was let go home but early Tues morning I ended up back in there with severe pain. They checked my HCG levels again which was around 3000 & gave me a collection on tablets to take and once again sent me home.
I was good most of Wed until the afternoon when the pains came back and once again the tablets were not working. Very early Thursday morning I again went back to emergency with severe pains and they did another scan to check if I ruptured (I finally started to bleed). They took more blood and my HCG level was 2000. This time they sent me home with a lot stronger pain killers and I have managed to last the weekend out without going back to hospital.
Unfortunently I run out of the tablets and the pain has come back. I have a appointment this afternoon so I am trying to last until then. Did anyone else have severe pain without rupturing? And how long does it last for?
hi hope you are ok but severe pain does not sound good
mine resolved after MTX treatment