Ectopic Pregnancy Treatment/side Effects?

Updated on July 29, 2010
L.K. asks from Los Angeles, CA
7 answers

Last week my dr thought I had a miscarrage because few days after what i though was my period i started spotting.. but when I went back to have them check my hormone levels they were still going up.. I had another ultrasound done this morning and the dr told me its ectopic pregnancy in my right tube. I'm freaking out!!! She said she was going to give me a shot later in the day and that it will get rid of it. Anyone had any experince with this? Did a shot work for you? I dont know how far along I am, but the sac/fetus is 3.5cm, and my HCG levels were in 7000s day they gave me the shot. Did this happene to anyone else? did the shot work? Any side effects? I read a lot of stuff online about ruptures and bleeding and it is causing me to panic..

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A.A.

answers from Waco on

Jen is exactly right. That is exactly what causes your tube to rupture. If you are 4-5 weeks along, then it is probably the right treatment. I know exactly how you feel as I have been in your shoes. I was about 14 weeks along when my doctor opted for the shot, which was way too far along to go that route. My tube did rupture and I would have died had I not been in the right place at the right time.

As for the side effects, I didn't really have any from the shot. I was tired and still feeling quite a bit of pain, but that was probably more from the ectopic pregnancy itself and the blood loss. I ruptured about 4 days after the shot.

I know you are probably very scared, upset, and worried, but please do not hesitate to convo me if you have any questions. I am so incredibly sorry you are having to go through this. It's truly a terrible thing that most folks don't understand.

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P.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

I am so sorry you are going through this. I have had 2 ectopic pregnancies both sucessfully treated with one shot of methotrextate. The only side effects were being tired and a bit sick to my stomach. The doesage they give for e/p is much much lower than what they give to cancer patients. I suggest you look at the online forum for further support - it has really been helpful to me.
http://www.ectopicpregnancyfoundation.org/forums/
Please feel free to send me a private email if you want to talk more.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

Ruptures and bleeding happen when the pregnancy is not caught and the baby out grows the space in the tube, causing rupture. Since this was caught early they should be able to remove the embryo with little to no side effects, but if you have any questions or concerns please talk to your doctor.

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S.Z.

answers from Reno on

I had to have surgery to remove mine, because we didn't catch it until I was farther along and in A LOT of pain. The surgery was quick, required only a Band Aid and left no discomfort at all. (It's the only time I've ever had surgery and felt better afterward!) So, if the shot doesn't work, don't worry, your dr can still treat you successfully. Hang in there!

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R.S.

answers from San Antonio on

I don't know if you have already had the shot or not...let us know...a girl friend of mine had surgery instead of the shot...as the side effects freaked her out. After surgery her numbers kept going up confusing everyone...then found out she was still pregnant.. She had fraternal twins...one in the tube...one in the uterus. Her son just turned six weeks old It was an extremely rare thing to happen...but it did.

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N.N.

answers from San Diego on

I am not sure about a shot, I am guessing is depending on each case, I found I had an ectopic pregnancy at 4 weeks and I had a c-section at 6 weeks to remove my right fallopian tube. After that, I got pregnant 3 months later with no problem at all.

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J.R.

answers from Grand Rapids on

Hello there, I am so sorry for your loss.

Make sure you have them do the procedure --the name escapes me, I think it is called and HCG? -- where they shoot dye into your tubes to see WHERE the pregnancy was and that it is resolved after the shot.

I miscarried and had a D&C that found no fetal tissue, so they diagnosed it as an ectopic pregnancy and I had the shot. They did not do the HCG at that time.

I later ended up going to a specialist who actually pioneered the whole chemo shot thing and he said it is very often misued. It should ONLY be used if they have confirmed through the HCG that you did indeed have an ectopic pregnancy.

In my case, it actually turned out I had a septum on my uterus that actually made two halves. So the D&C had only cleared one side of my uterus, thus the lack of fetal tissue -- it was on the other side and I did not have an ectopic pregnancy.

The shot wasn't the issue as much as the uterus issue -- I needed to have it fixed, which I did -- successfully. But if I would have known to ask for the HCG in the first place, I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.

Long story short, I had no side effects from the shot, but I wish I would have asked for more comprehensive care and wish I would have switched to a fertility specialist to treat me rather than a regular OB. Make sure you ask for it and REALLY push back if they disagree.

I'm sorry again about your loss. It's hard to lose a baby no matter how early you are into your pregnancy.

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