Success stories after Methotrexate/ectopic

[grace10209]

Hi All
I recently had to take Methotrexate for an ectopic pregnancy. I have been stalking and chiming in on several threads here that have been so helpful to me. I am so thankful for what I have learned so far.

I thought it might be beneficial to have a thread that had details on ladies that had successful pregnancies AFTER methotrexate. I think it would be a good place for those of us to go to for HOPE AND INSPIRATION for the future, especially when we are in the middle of this and just want to cry all the time.

So would you please post the following to help others....
Date of 1st Injection:
HCG at 1st Injection:
Did you need 2nd injection?
How long for hcg to hit 0:
& Most important - When did your get BFP:

Thank you everyone!!!!!!

 

[grace10209]

anyone?

 

[rosebud111]

hi gracie, i don't remember the exact dates and what my hcg was at the time but i had my ectopic in 2010. the ectopic was discovered somewhere around 7 weeks. i received 1 dose of methotrexate and the numbers began to fall but unfortunately my left tube still ruptured about 1 week later and i needed surgery w/partial tube removal. the good news is that i became pregnant again after 3 months of trying (after 3 month rest). unfortunately that resulted in a chemical/early miscarriage but it was not related to the ectopic. the doctor said it was just bad luck. i am finally pregnant again and am 16 weeks! everyone's story is different but the end result is what is most important and my advice is to stay positive and do not give up! the odds are still in your favor. i am finally getting my rainbow and so thankful!! you will get your rainbow too!!!

 

[grace10209]

hi gracie, i don't remember the exact dates and what my hcg was at the time but i had my ectopic in 2010. the ectopic was discovered somewhere around 7 weeks. i received 1 dose of methotrexate and the numbers began to fall but unfortunately my left tube still ruptured about 1 week later and i needed surgery w/partial tube removal. the good news is that i became pregnant again after 3 months of trying (after 3 month rest). unfortunately that resulted in a chemical/early miscarriage but it was not related to the ectopic. the doctor said it was just bad luck. i am finally pregnant again and am 16 weeks! everyone's story is different but the end result is what is most important and my advice is to stay positive and do not give up! the odds are still in your favor. i am finally getting my rainbow and so thankful!! you will get your rainbow too!!!

thank you so much for responding and sharing your story. It helps me and I hope it helps some other women that do a search here on ectopics.
So exciting you are at 16weeks and im sorry about the chemical. that must have been aweful.

 

[Kellen]

Date of 1st Injection: February 19th, 2012 - two injections given
HCG at 1st Injection: 750
How long for hcg to hit 0: 1.5 weeks
When did your get BFP: June 11, 2012

My DH and I had not really been trying, but we certainly were not preventing when we received our first BFP in February 2012. Dating back to my LMP our due date would have been October 15, 2012 and at the time we got our BFP we were 5 weeks. It was right before Valentine's Day and we were very excited.
On February 18th I started to notice slight cramping and a bit of brownish discharge. I asked my mom and a close friend if this was normal and they said, yes, they had both experienced during their pregnancies. So I tried to put it out of my mind. At about 2am on the 19th I woke up in terrible pain and informed my DH that I was suffering from a miscarriage. We waited until the morning and went to the ER.
Once in the ER they drew blood and sent me in for an ultrasound. The tech conducted both an internal and external scan. At this time I was passing huge clots and in a substantial amount of pain. They called in the OB on-call. There was "suspicious" shading in my right ovary. Unable to determine if it was ectopic or not we elected to have the Methotrexate injection.
My HCG levels dropped and subsequent scans showed an empty uterus. The OB advised us to wait at least 3 cycles before trying again. We waited exactly three cycles and then BOOM! We got a BFP. I was terrified my entire first trimester, but have relaxed now that I am 18 weeks. In two weeks I will find out what I am having.

I hope that this testimonial and thread provides encouragement to those who had to go through similar situations. Recovering from my loss was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Even though I am super excited about meeting my Valentine's baby I still feel a terrible emptiness when I think of my first.

 

[grace10209]

Date of 1st Injection: February 19th, 2012 - two injections given
HCG at 1st Injection: 750
How long for hcg to hit 0: 1.5 weeks
When did your get BFP: June 11, 2012

My DH and I had not really been trying, but we certainly were not preventing when we received our first BFP in February 2012. Dating back to my LMP our due date would have been October 15, 2012 and at the time we got our BFP we were 5 weeks. It was right before Valentine's Day and we were very excited.
On February 18th I started to notice slight cramping and a bit of brownish discharge. I asked my mom and a close friend if this was normal and they said, yes, they had both experienced during their pregnancies. So I tried to put it out of my mind. At about 2am on the 19th I woke up in terrible pain and informed my DH that I was suffering from a miscarriage. We waited until the morning and went to the ER.
Once in the ER they drew blood and sent me in for an ultrasound. The tech conducted both an internal and external scan. At this time I was passing huge clots and in a substantial amount of pain. They called in the OB on-call. There was "suspicious" shading in my right ovary. Unable to determine if it was ectopic or not we elected to have the Methotrexate injection.
My HCG levels dropped and subsequent scans showed an empty uterus. The OB advised us to wait at least 3 cycles before trying again. We waited exactly three cycles and then BOOM! We got a BFP. I was terrified my entire first trimester, but have relaxed now that I am 18 weeks. In two weeks I will find out what I am having.

I hope that this testimonial and thread provides encouragement to those who had to go through similar situations. Recovering from my loss was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Even though I am super excited about meeting my Valentine's baby I still feel a terrible emptiness when I think of my first.

Wow, I can NOT thank you enough for posting this, I truly believe this will help others as they do searches and end up on this page.
It has certainly helped me. I am so excited for you that you are 18weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get there? how does it feel ? are you showing yet? OMG! So you waited to have 3 AF's before you ttc? Thats so crazy your levels hit 0 so quickly. I am hoping mine do too. Last week I was at 44 so I hope this week is 0. That will be 3 weeks from date of shot. Do you remember how long it took for your first AF to arrive after you hit 0?

 

[Kellen]

Grace, I sort of cheated when it came to AF and counted my two week bleed from the mc as AF. My "second" AF returned 28 days (to the date!) after my last day of bleeding.

18 weeks is interesting. I am showing, but half the time I don't even feel pregnant because my LO only kicks at night or after I eat something chocolatey or when DH is talking excitedly.

I hope your levels drop quickly too. I was only 5 and a half weeks when I received the shots and my levels were dropping when I went to the ER. I stayed away from my prenatal for 1 regular cycle and then started again so that my body would have plenty of nutrients for baby building! DH didn't believe me when I told him immediately after we DTD that we would be having a baby in February. I just knew that we had implanted and that everything would be okay. I'm looking forward to my midwife appointment this Thursday to schedule our gender scan.

 

[grace10209]

Grace, I sort of cheated when it came to AF and counted my two week bleed from the mc as AF. My "second" AF returned 28 days (to the date!) after my last day of bleeding.

18 weeks is interesting. I am showing, but half the time I don't even feel pregnant because my LO only kicks at night or after I eat something chocolatey or when DH is talking excitedly.

I hope your levels drop quickly too. I was only 5 and a half weeks when I received the shots and my levels were dropping when I went to the ER. I stayed away from my prenatal for 1 regular cycle and then started again so that my body would have plenty of nutrients for baby building! DH didn't believe me when I told him immediately after we DTD that we would be having a baby in February. I just knew that we had implanted and that everything would be okay. I'm looking forward to my midwife appointment this Thursday to schedule our gender scan.

Ahhhh, ok about the AF, so when you say "you counted your 2 week bleed from mc" as 1st AF, when was that? was it while your numbers were dropping or AFTER they hit 0 did the bleeding start? Im just curious because after I got the shot, I had some bleeding for about 4-5 days, so i was wondering. And then, if that was what you were talking about, then you only had 1 more AF before you ttc?

I was only 6 weeks when I got the injection so Im hopeful I will be like you, my levels are dropping quickly and went from 1008 day of shot, to 1865 Day 4, to 740 day 7, to 44 day 14, so im praying this week i'll be at 0 -
OMG is this your first baby? I mean, the first time you have ever been 18 weeks pregnant? Thanks for sharing with me, living vicariously through someone who is ahead of me and on the success road is helping.

 

[Kellen]

I started bleeding on February 18th and my next "true" AF was on March 16th, which was exactly 28 days. During my mc I bled for about a week and a half after the shot. My next AF was April 13th, then May 9th. I ovulated on May 20th and we DTD the day prior to O and following O just to be safe.

I'm obsessive about record keeping so I hope this helps. My first pregnancy was the ectopic that I lost in February at 5.5weeks. So yes, this is my first pregnancy that has been successful up to 18 weeks.

My hCG levels were super low when I went in for my bleed (around 570 I believe) so they didn't have far to fall. So I guess, looking back at the dates, I did have 3 full AF before TTC. I track all of that information in my daily planner so that I know exactly what happened when.

 

[grace10209]

I started bleeding on February 18th and my next "true" AF was on March 16th, which was exactly 28 days. During my mc I bled for about a week and a half after the shot. My next AF was April 13th, then May 9th. I ovulated on May 20th and we DTD the day prior to O and following O just to be safe.

I'm obsessive about record keeping so I hope this helps. My first pregnancy was the ectopic that I lost in February at 5.5weeks. So yes, this is my first pregnancy that has been successful up to 18 weeks.

My hCG levels were super low when I went in for my bleed (around 570 I believe) so they didn't have far to fall. So I guess, looking back at the dates, I did have 3 full AF before TTC. I track all of that information in my daily planner so that I know exactly what happened when.

This is really great and helpful to me. So yes it does look like you had 3 AF's even after that bleed from the loss. Good to know. Like I said, i am praying my level is 0 thursday, i may even take a test tonight to see if its negative. I bought 50 wondfo's from amazon so I can test easily. I can't wait to start my prenatals again. and start getting af's going - I think I'll wait 2 or 3, once I hit 3 months from injection - i'll see where i am at with AF's. Thank you again and keep me posted on things... When is your appt??? were you a nervous wreck during entire 1st trimester? did your #'s climb normally with this one/

 

[Kellen]

My Quad test appointment is this Thursday. Then we'll be able to make the gender scan appointment for two weeks after that.

I was a terrible wreck during my first trimester. At 6 weeks my numbers were super high (26,000) but didn't quite "double" seeing as they only rose to 38,000 in 48hrs. I later learned that after you pass the 6,000 mark the doubling doesn't quite work out.
Every little pain had me running to the forum. I was a compulsive panty checker, but never experienced any bleeding or cramping. At 10 weeks the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler (we saw the HB at 8 weeks on an ultrasound). I convinced myself that I'd had a mmc. Then at 12 weeks I was in a car accident so I had to have an ultrasound. Our LO was fine and very active. Then at 14 weeks the midwife was easily able to find the HB. Now I can feel tiny flutter kicks and have begun to show.

 

[grace10209]

My Quad test appointment is this Thursday. Then we'll be able to make the gender scan appointment for two weeks after that.

I was a terrible wreck during my first trimester. At 6 weeks my numbers were super high (26,000) but didn't quite "double" seeing as they only rose to 38,000 in 48hrs. I later learned that after you pass the 6,000 mark the doubling doesn't quite work out.
Every little pain had me running to the forum. I was a compulsive panty checker, but never experienced any bleeding or cramping. At 10 weeks the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler (we saw the HB at 8 weeks on an ultrasound). I convinced myself that I'd had a mmc. Then at 12 weeks I was in a car accident so I had to have an ultrasound. Our LO was fine and very active. Then at 14 weeks the midwife was easily able to find the HB. Now I can feel tiny flutter kicks and have begun to show.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How crazy! Holy crap! OMG I can't believe at 10 weeks they couldn't find the heartbeat, so what happened? did you just leave the appt knowing that they couldn't find it. even after you had heard it at 8 weeks. OMG/ i would have freaked, did they say "oh its ok, normal" and come back in a few weeks/ OMG
and then you were in a car accident! OMG - you have got to tell me more about the 10 week appt and what they told you when you left? i would have been balling!

 

[Kellen]

The midwife told me it was fairly normal not to be able to find the heartbeat with the doppler at that early date, especially since I have strong core muscles. She said since I had not experienced any unusual cramping or bleeding that she was sure everything was okay. I was not so sure. There were times that I 100% convinced myself that the baby had died, but I just hadn't miscarried yet.

At 12 weeks (to the day) I was driving home from work and was rear-ended in stop and go traffic. It wasn't all that bad of an accident, but the person who it me ran off because I could get an ID on the car or exchange insurance. My DH took me to Urgent Care who referred me to my OB the next morning. Since the placenta is just barely forming at 12 weeks there was no damage done and baby was nice and protected. I did have a pretty severe case of whiplash for a week or so.

If I hadn't had the car accident my next appointment, after 10 weeks, would have been the 14 week appointment. At that one the midwife was easily able to find the heartbeat without even searching.

 

[grace10209]

Oh ok,
this is good to know for when I get my bfp. OMG I CANT WAIT!
Im praying that we get our bfp with our forever baby by Christmas -

intersting that they could hear the heartbeat at 8 weeks and then not at 10. thanks for telling me or i would have freaked. Also, i wonder why your numbers were so high at 5 weeks, 26,000 is crazy. but awesome! OMG i can't wait. I am living vicariously through you at this moment!

I am sooo praying i am at 0 this week. i go on thursday too, and i'll get my results about 3-4pm. I just want to start prenatals and be moving forward you know?

I will likely be like you and very very worried during my 1st trimester. Ughhh. I will probably convince myself that something is wrong too - cuz im crazy like that. well, hopefully at that point - we are still chatting so you can calm me down when needed - LOL

 

[Kellen]

Oh ok,
this is good to know for when I get my bfp. OMG I CANT WAIT!
Im praying that we get our bfp with our forever baby by Christmas -

intersting that they could hear the heartbeat at 8 weeks and then not at 10. thanks for telling me or i would have freaked. Also, i wonder why your numbers were so high at 5 weeks, 26,000 is crazy. but awesome! OMG i can't wait. I am living vicariously through you at this moment!

I am sooo praying i am at 0 this week. i go on thursday too, and i'll get my results about 3-4pm. I just want to start prenatals and be moving forward you know?

I will likely be like you and very very worried during my 1st trimester. Ughhh. I will probably convince myself that something is wrong too - cuz im crazy like that. well, hopefully at that point - we are still chatting so you can calm me down when needed - LOL

At 8 weeks we had an internal ultrasound that was able to pick up the heartbeat. I pray that you get your BFP before Christmas too. I was thrilled that we got our before our original due date would have been. It will make the holiday season a little more bearable.

 

[grace10209]

Oh ok,
this is good to know for when I get my bfp. OMG I CANT WAIT!
Im praying that we get our bfp with our forever baby by Christmas -

intersting that they could hear the heartbeat at 8 weeks and then not at 10. thanks for telling me or i would have freaked. Also, i wonder why your numbers were so high at 5 weeks, 26,000 is crazy. but awesome! OMG i can't wait. I am living vicariously through you at this moment!

I am sooo praying i am at 0 this week. i go on thursday too, and i'll get my results about 3-4pm. I just want to start prenatals and be moving forward you know?

I will likely be like you and very very worried during my 1st trimester. Ughhh. I will probably convince myself that something is wrong too - cuz im crazy like that. well, hopefully at that point - we are still chatting so you can calm me down when needed - LOL

At 8 weeks we had an internal ultrasound that was able to pick up the heartbeat. I pray that you get your BFP before Christmas too. I was thrilled that we got our before our original due date would have been. It will make the holiday season a little more bearable.

I know! so tomorrow is the big day, for your appt and for my blood work. Im praying I am at 0 and they will let me start my prenatals again. I'll be so excited once I am at 0 and can move on.........then its wait for AF to arrive. It will also be interesting/wierd have the "ok" to have sex again, as we'll need to use condoms or something as we can't ttc for a while? we have never done that before.

 

[Kellen]

During the "do not conceive time" my husband used the "pull out" method. This is because I am highly allergic to latex and we didn't feel like spending $30+ on sheepskin condoms. It was a big awkward at first, but actually set us fairly good for pregnancy when I don't feel like fully committing. Gave us a chance to experiment a bit.

I'll be praying that your reach 0 tomorrow and that AF resumes her normal schedule.

 

[drc]

Hi Grace! I felt compelled to respond to your post because I remember how hard it was to be in your position. I got my BFP on Dec 21, and started spotting three days later. Within two days, I was fully bleeding. I was away from home and couldn't go to my doctor but after talking with a nurse, I assumed I was miscarrying. I was finally able to see my doctor on Jan 2. They didn't tell me my hcg numbers, but did say they were abnormally low for how far along I was, and that I was probably miscarrying. The second blood draw showed a slight increase, and an internal scan revealed an empty uterus and a mass in my left tube. I had the methotrexate shot on Jan 5 and my levels were back to 0 in three weeks. I bled thoughout that time.

My doctor said I could start trying again the following month, but after reading up online, I decided to wait for three months after my levels hit 0. I took prenatals and extra folic acid from the time my numbers were back at 0. We started trying again in the middle of April, and I got my BFP on May 10. I'm now 21w5d with a baby boy.

The first part of this pregnancy was agonizingly stressful. I had a few episodes of light bleeding, and an early scan around 6 weeks with no heartbeat. Seeing a heartbeat at my 7 week scan was so amazing, and since then everything has looked totally normal on my scans. Anyway, I hope it helps to hear some of this. Getting through those 3 months of waiting is super hard, but there is hope afterward! Good luck!

 

[grace10209]

Hi Grace! I felt compelled to respond to your post because I remember how hard it was to be in your position. I got my BFP on Dec 21, and started spotting three days later. Within two days, I was fully bleeding. I was away from home and couldn't go to my doctor but after talking with a nurse, I assumed I was miscarrying. I was finally able to see my doctor on Jan 2. They didn't tell me my hcg numbers, but did say they were abnormally low for how far along I was, and that I was probably miscarrying. The second blood draw showed a slight increase, and an internal scan revealed an empty uterus and a mass in my left tube. I had the methotrexate shot on Jan 5 and my levels were back to 0 in three weeks. I bled thoughout that time.

My doctor said I could start trying again the following month, but after reading up online, I decided to wait for three months after my levels hit 0. I took prenatals and extra folic acid from the time my numbers were back at 0. We started trying again in the middle of April, and I got my BFP on May 10. I'm now 21w5d with a baby boy.

The first part of this pregnancy was agonizingly stressful. I had a few episodes of light bleeding, and an early scan around 6 weeks with no heartbeat. Seeing a heartbeat at my 7 week scan was so amazing, and since then everything has looked totally normal on my scans. Anyway, I hope it helps to hear some of this. Getting through those 3 months of waiting is super hard, but there is hope afterward! Good luck!

Hi there
Thank you SO much for responding here, it helps me but im sure will help women in the future that do a search for ttc after methotrexate. So your shot was Jan 5 and you ttc again April 15 (roughly) so thats 3 months from date of injection, good to know. Mine was 8/23 so 3 months is 11/23. I am hoping to ttc after 11/23 - so that sounds good. I have an appt today so Im praying my numbers are at 0 so I can start prenatals again. OMG I can't even imagine what that 1st trimester was like for you. OMG bleeding and no HB at 6 weeks. OY. But it turned out great and here you are! thank you so much! Keep me posted on how things go. So exciting!!!

 

[grace10209]

During the "do not conceive time" my husband used the "pull out" method. This is because I am highly allergic to latex and we didn't feel like spending $30+ on sheepskin condoms. It was a big awkward at first, but actually set us fairly good for pregnancy when I don't feel like fully committing. Gave us a chance to experiment a bit.

I'll be praying that your reach 0 tomorrow and that AF resumes her normal schedule.

Hi Kellen
what time is your appt today? what is a quad appt? I went for my bloodwork already so just waiting for the results. praying I can start prenatals again NOW, we will see. We also have a wedding this weekend so Im going to ask if I can drink again. Did you drink once you hit 0? I was told no alcohol after methotextrate but I think once I hit 0, it will be ok.