Next phase of the plan after first transfer (ectopic)

[Rainbowretrieval]

Hi there. My first FET resulted in an ectopic which had to be surgically removed. I have requested for a lining check after my next period (which we are not doing a transfer on as I have an infection currently and on antibiotics, so using the time productively) as my consultant has suggested a no progesterone protocol for my next transfer when my body is healed within a natural cycle as the hormones can increase ectopic risk. I have also asked for an ultrasound guided xfer and a different nurse (perhaps irrational but I do not want to go through the trauma again if it can be avoided!) Has anyone else done anything differently after an ectopic?

[Snoopydraws23]

Hi,

I just want to say how sorry I am to hear about your ectopics. I had two on FET number 2 and 4 so know how traumatic the experience can be. My first one was medically managed with methotrexate and the second required emergency surgery to remove my tube.

My clinic always said that there was no real explanation for it happening and that IVF can increase the risk but I felt that it wasn’t just ‘bad luck’ that it happened twice!

Whilst we didn’t change anything in terms of medication/ treatment (I did have successful pregnancies on FET 3 and 5), I have stage 4 endometriosis so did go and see a private endo specialist to see if there was any other explanation as I know that is also a risk factor. I had an MRI which showed I had a hematosalpinx so I decided to have my other tube removed before undergoing my last transfer.

Is it possible to rule out any other factors that may also increase your risk? Wishing you all the best moving forward with your journey. X

[Rainbowretrieval in reply to Snoopydraws23]

thanks so much for your reply and glad it all worked out for you in the end, you must have thought the world was against you when the second happened, I’m not sure I could have summoned up the courage to try again, so you’re amazingly brave. I am very nervous about it happening again as mine was slightly different in that it ended up growing on my ovary (didn’t even know that could be a thing) so they had to take part of my ovary and didn’t take my tube (wish they had now as at least it would be less likely to happen on that side). So I don’t know if that ovary is functional now so might only have one remaining ‘good’ ovary 😢 I did ask the surgeon specifically if they saw any pathological reason it had happened (signs of endo etc as I have terrible heavy periods) but they didn’t see anything. I have also had a tube patency test before to check for blockages when we were trying to conceive and all showed clear. Maybe I need to try and put it down as just ‘one of those things’ and not overthink it. I guess I just expected we would not get an implantation or a normal miscarriage worse case scenario from our transfer (never felt hopeful of a successful pregnancy first time). An ectopic just wasn’t on my radar as it seems so bizarre the embryo would move to the tubes in a backward step when it’s placed ‘correctly’ so trying to come to terms with why is very hard.

[Snoopydraws23 in reply to Rainbowretrieval]

Yes, that’s understandable, it can be really hard not to over think it and think there must be an underlying reason but I suppose there are times when it is ‘just one of those things’ and it won’t happen again. Like you, I never knew it could happen with IVF. Another thing that my IVF Consultant said it me was that the embryo can sometimes migrate back to where it would be if the pregnancy was conceived naturally, so hormonally/ chemically it would be travelling along the tube before implantation in the womb so heads back there (not sure if I’ve explained that very well!)

It’s always hard to try again. I had some counselling before going for it again as it was a terrifying thought of a 3rd. But also, I think you’re more aware of signs/ symptoms after the first time so it can be picked up earlier if treatment is needed. I knew 2nd time round what was happening so immediately went to hospital. X