Ectopic Pregnancy

I’d say I inaugurated the “scary shit” series pretty early in my pregnancy.

I was pretty sure I was pregnant the day of, if you know what I mean. After 2 weeks I took a few* “early pregnancy tests” and boom – confirmed!

Yay!

Called my doctor, who said I’d have to wait until 8 weeks to have our first prenatal appointment … bummer.

3 weeks later … I started feeling a sharp pain on my left side.

My mind went crazy, thinking that I’d done something wrong and damaged my baby – I was still exercising a lot : running, yoga, stairmaster, etc.

Called the doctor 9am, on my way to the office after enduring a few conference calls at home in pain.

The nurse said I should have called as soon as I felt the pain, and dropped the bomb – ” we believe there are high chances of an ectopic pregnancy, so we’d like you to come for an ultrasound today at 11am”

Really?

No preliminaries, just the bomb, OUCH!

It’s impressive how much crazy things you can read online just about anything in less than an hour…

WHAT’S AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY ?

to sum up : “A pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus.”

or, according to WebMD :

“For pregnancy to happen, the ovary has to release an egg into the fallopian tube, where it stays for about 24 hours. There it has to come in contact with a sperm to be fertilized. The fertilized egg stays in the fallopian tube for 3 or 4 days before it heads to the uterus. There it attaches to the lining and continues to grow until a baby is born.

But if the fertilized egg implants in your fallopian tube or somewhere else in your abdomen, you end up with what’s called an ectopic pregnancy. In these cases, the pregnancy can’t continue normally, and it requires emergency treatment.”

holy shit …

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

At first you may not have any symptoms of an early ectopic pregnancy. They may seem very similar to a normal pregnancy. You might miss your period and have discomfort in your belly and tenderness in your breasts.

Only about half of women with an ectopic pregnancy will have all three of the main signs: a missed period, vaginal bleeding, and belly pain.

Other common symptoms of ectopic pregnancy include:

Nausea and vomiting with pain
Sharp abdominal cramps
Pain on one side of your body
Dizziness or weakness
Pain in your shoulder, neck, or rectum

Attention to the picture : that was exactly like i felt for 2 days before calling the doctor – and of course, after reading it I suddenly started having all the other symptoms : maybe that morning sickness was not just morning sickness but the ” nausea and vomiting with pain” , and hmmm, and I’m feeling dizzy ?

O M G

It is crazy what your mind can do to your body …

WHAT’S THE “EMERGENCY” TREATMENT?

Because a fertilized egg can’t survive outside of the uterus, the tissue has to be removed to keep you from having serious complications. Two methods are used to treat it: medication and surgery.

Medication. If your fallopian tube hasn’t ruptured and your pregnancy hasn’t progressed very far, your doctor can give you an injection of methotrexate (Trexall). It stops the cells from growing, and your body will simply absorb them. Most ectopic pregnancies can be treated with methotrexate if they’re caught early.

Surgery. In other cases, surgery is required. The most common is laparoscopy. Your doctor will make very small incisions in your lower abdomen and insert a thin, flexible instrument (laparoscope) to remove the ectopic pregnancy. If your fallopian tube is damaged, she may have to remove it as well.If you’re bleeding heavily or your doctor suspects your fallopian tube is ruptured, you might need emergency surgery with a larger incision. This is called laparotomy.

ok, so that means that I would not have my baby?

I bursted into tears as I drove to the doctor.

Recomposed myself, walked in there – texting my husband like crazy, as he was just as tense.

After a brief chat I found myself laying down, waiting for the ultrasound and praying for my baby – when we heard his heartbeat, and the doctor said – “all good” – I bursted into tears.

Called my husband right away – WE’RE HAVING A BABY!

We – myself and my doctor, took advantage of the appointment to discuss her approach to the pregnancy, tests and exams she’d recommend because of my age (looks like if you’re 35, you’re considered elderly …) , but that’s story for a few other posts – you can go ahead and find about one of the here.