Have you had an Ectopic pregnancy?

Question

if so how did you know? and what do they do about it?

Answer 1

Yes, I have. I was 6 weeks pregnant when I found out. I woke up at 4am in severe abdominal pain. It felt like I had really bad gas pain at first and needed to go to the bathroom. I tried to go twice and nothing happened. So, I went out to our living room and sat down with a heating pad on my stomach thinking that I just had gas pain that wasn't ready to come out. (I know it sounds gross but, it's the best way I can think of to explain it.)

After about 30-45 minutes of constant severe pain I woke up my husband and told him that something had to be wrong with me because the pain was so bad and it wasn't going away. I had just found out, the day before, that I was pregnant so that was the first thing that I thought of so I told him I wanted to go to the hospital. The entire car ride there was horrible. I swear I felt every single tiny bump on the road.

Once there, the ER doctor had me take a urine test. He came in and told me I was definitely pregnant but, he thought the pain was caused by my appendix. He did a vaginal ultrasound and said that if I was 5-6 weeks what he was looking at was fine but, if I was 7 weeks something was wrong. Being that I knew pretty much when I got pregnany I told him that I couldn't be any more than 6 weeks. So, he said that it was my appendix and that he wanted someone from gyno to come down before they did anything else. I ended up throwing up twice and getting an iv in both arms while I waited.

When she finally came down (about 1 1/2 hours later) she did a vaginal ultrasound as well. When she did it I thought I was going to die because of the pain. She said that I would probably be more painful when she did it because she wanted to check my fallopian tubes just in case. That's when I found out that I had a tubal pregnancy. Since I was in so much pain I had to have surgery to remove the pregnancy. But, even then she wasn't 100% sure if the pain was cause by the tubal or not. She said that they would go in and remove the pregnancy and then if they couldn't find a cause for the pain from it then a general surgery team would be standing by to come in immediately to remove my appendix and check for anything else.

I won't go into anything that happened after that because it's all recovery stuff. But, what ended up being the problem was my right fallopian tube had ruptured. The removed my entire right fallopian tube along with the pregnancy. She told me that I was lucky that I woke up when I did because I could have bled to death and never have know what was going on. She said that it most likely ruptured when I woke up.

By the time they went in to do the surgery I had close to a liter of blood in my abdomen and ended up losing over 1 1/2 liters in all by the time they were done with the surgery. I almost had to have a blood transfusion (I know people that have had this happen and had to have more than one). I ended up being anemic for several months afterwards.

Ectopic pregnancy means any pregancy that is not in the womb. The most common kind happens in the fallopian tube, called tubal pregnancies. About 1 in 50 women have them and then after you've had one you usually are told you have either a 1 in 5 chance or a 1 in 3 chance of having another one.

Ectopic pregnancies have to be terminate, either with medicinal therapy or surgery, usually laproscopic. They cannot be moved surgically to the uterus for several reasons, one being the tiny miniscule blood vessels that are formed once the implanted egg attaches and starts to grow (which is what happens normally in the uterus).

The main reason why the pregnancy must be removed, beyond the obviousness of it not being in the uterus, is due to the lack of space in the fallopian tube. If your fallopian tube ruptures you could bleed to death internally. The only way to know if your pregnancy is a tubal one is to have a vaginal ultrasound. Normally they aren't that uncomfortable but, with the positioning need to see the pregnancy (and especially if the fallopian tube has already ruptured) they can be extremely painful.

Doctors will normally go with medicinal therapy as long as you are not in any pain. If you are in severe pain they will do surgery on you because the tube has most likely ruptured (but they won't know until they actual do the surgery if this is the case). When they do the surgery, depending on where the pregnancy is in the fallopian tube, several things can happen. If it's too close to the uterus they might have to remove a section of the tube along with the pregnancy. Too close to the ovary (or attached to it) the ovary may have to be removed. If the fallopian tube has already ruptured the entire tube will be removed.

These are all things your doctor should talk to you about before the surgery. The main thing to remember through it all is that when this kind of pregnancy occurs you have the right to feel however you want to. Some people immediately move on with their lives, most don't. You have a right to grieve irregardless of how short or long of a time you were pregnant. You also need to remember that there is absolutely nothing that you did that caused it. Many people have none of the risk factors but yet they have them (myself included).

In the end, if you think you have one you need to go the ER immediately.

Also please remember this is totally different from having a miscarriage. Neither one is worse or better than the other. They are just different. Grieving is similar but, in their own ways are still different. The way I explained what gets to me is that someone physically removed my baby from my body. That there was nothing wrong with my baby, it was just in the wrong place. That thought is upsetting in it's own way. Just as in what happens when a person miscarries.

And as far as getting pregnant again, you still can even with a fallopian tube removed. Most doctors will tell you to wait at least 6 months being trying again. I think they say that more for the emotional and mental parts than the physical. My doctor said that physically I could try again after my first period (not the one that occurs right after surgery, the next one).

Answer 2

AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY MEANS IT IS TUBAL. I HAD A MISCARRIAGE IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS ECTOPIC AT FIRST. THEY HAVE TO TERMINATE THE PREGNANCY BECAUSE YOU CAN DIE. I KNOW THAT IT CAN BECOME VERY PAINFUL AT SOME POINT AND THE SOONER YOU GET IT TAKEN CARE OF THE BETTER BECAUSE YOUR TUBE COULD BURST AND DECREASE YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING PREGNANT AGAIN. THEY GIVE YOU A PREGNANCY TEST AND THEN CHECK YOUR HCG (HORMONE LEVELS). I HAD TO GO IN 4 TIMES IN A WEEK FOR THEM TO KEEP TAKING BLOOD. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR A RISE, IF THERE IS NO RISE OR IF THERE IS A DECREASE YOU ARE PROBABLY HAVING A MISCARRIAGE. THIS SITE EXPLAINS IT BEST.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html

Answer 3

My mom had an ectopic pregnancy, she had bleeding and severe pain in her arm and shoulder, weird and I dont know how it is related but it is a common sign. I do believe ihe baby cannot survive in the tube, there is just not enough room for the fetus. Either you pass the baby or they go in and do a D&C which my mom had!

Answer 4

it was one of the most painful things i have ever had. the pain was all on one side. and i had to have a operation to get the baby out of the tube and so that it didnt burst. of course the baby never surivives as that is the problem they have to get out. i wouldnt wish it on anybody

Answer 5

No, but I think you can see it on ultrasound. Usual treatment is intrasmuscular methotrexate. If that doesn't work, may need surgery to get it out.

Answer 6

no.never. but i do feel sorry for those who do.. it is extremely riskyy.