TTC after Methotrexate shot

[ladyluck8181]

Ah.. And the reason you take folic acid is to reduce the risks related to NTDs - that totally makes sense.

I'm probably only going to just wait the one cycle then.. 1. because I can start taking folic acid supplements again as soon as my levels hit zero; and 2. because a lot of people who aren't TTC don't start taking prenatals until 6+ weeks and have perfectly healthy babies.

Thank you for clearing that up for me!

It was me who posted on the other thread.......

A lot of people who aren't taking prenatals until 6+ weeks also haven't had their levels wiped down to zero by mtx I would really really think about it, I personally really wish I had waited that extra month and then at least not had the whole 'was it because I didn't wait?' issue not to mention the medical professionals who pretty much made it clear that I should've waited.

I did catch on again immediately after my m/c and touch wood everything is going great so it does happen.

ATEOTD it is completely your decision and we will all support you and offer you help and advice I would seriously consider asking your ob for a higher dose FA if you are intending on trying after one cycle

Summer - so good to see you about, I see you are going for IUI#4 good luck, I'll say a little prayer for you

 

[summer2011]

Thank you Ladyluck,

It's been a challenge to even get to try as our schedules have become even busier, but we're trying to make it work. If no bfp in the next couple trys we'll be moving on to ivf in the fall.

Great to see you're doing well. Did you find out, pink or blue?

 

[HerdingMomma]

My RE told me it does NOT deplete folic acid completely, you don't go to zero folic acid, and it starts building back up within a few days from our diets, even before we start taking supplements. If you were taking MTX long term for cancer or something, yes, it would take several months to get back to healthy levels, but for an ectopic we get much smaller doses and just once or twice. The 3 month advice is based on long term use. I got the MTX on Feb 6 and 13. I got AF on Mar 1, and my RE said go ahead. We are. Just waiting to O now.

 

[HerdingMomma]

Ovulated Friday and now in the 2ww. Looks like we're waiting together, Summer!

Savasanna: Looking forward to an update from you!

 

[Savasanna]

Thanks everyone for all your responses! I think the most important thing here is that all of our decisions are made with intention - and it sounds like that rings true all of us ladies.

Ladyluck - congrats on your current pregnancy! That's amazing!

I'm so so sorry you had to deal with all the "what ifs". I'm angry with your health providers for doing that to you. Even if there were a question as to whether or not the mtx had anything to do with a subsequent miscarriage, I think it was wrong of them to say that to you. I mean, what if it didn't? We do a good enough job blaming ourselves without the help of people saying "well you really should've done X". Very upsetting.

Also - good poing on the folic acid decrease/depletion. I'll be sure to talk with my doctor about that after I hear what my labs today come back as. I'm really hoping they'll be at zero.

HerdingMomma - 2ww!! How exciting! You're back in the game!

 

[Savasanna]

Latest beta is 4.6 so I can officially stop having it checked. I'm a little confused as I'm still lightly bleeding but.. I'm guessing/hoping that'll finish up soon. My doctor told me I can expect a "normal period" in a few weeks. I really hope I don't continue to lightly bleed until then. I'm going on 5 weeks now.. I'd like to stop wearing pads now!!

How's everyone else doing?

 

[HerdingMomma]

Congrats on the negative beta!

I'm now 11dpo and got a faint line this morning that others could see, but the next test was stark white again. My chart is triphasic, I had the "implantation pinches" Sunday night, but I'm starting to lose hope for this cycle.

There's a small part of me that fears that although my ectopic stopped growing, that maybe my body hasn't absorbed it all yet, and my tube is still blocked or partially blocked. Does anyone know how fast the body absorbs them?

 

[summer2011]

It should be absorbed by the time your hcg reaches zero I would assume but without an internal look at your tube or an hsg it would be impossible to say that there was no damage or swelling. Another reason my doc gave to wait at least 3 months. She actually first suggested we wait 6 months and I only had one mtx shot. She wanted to ensure I was properly healed physically and emotionally.

Good luck to you, hope little bean is in the right spot.

 

[summer2011]

Maybe schedule a beta in the next couple days with your doc? If you have a good number and rising appropriately then bubs is probably fine.

 

[HerdingMomma]

All tests since this morning have been neg, so thinking it was just an error. Not out yet, though, it's still early. As soon as I get a solid BFP I'm supposed to call it in to start betas. That's been the drill since my lap in 2005. They'll probably do more of them this time, though. My betas at 13 and 15dpo with the ectopic were great, but I felt like something was up and asked for more and that's when we saw that it had stopped rising properly, and then dropped, then started going up again. Suspicion is there was an intrauterine twin that didn't make it that triggered the early BFP (10dpo) since ectopics are supposed to implant late. But, we'll never know for sure.

What I do know is I'm tired of TTC being so difficult. When TTC my youngest I couldn't get pregnant. Now I get pregnant easily, but can't stay pregnant.

 

[summer2011]

I know how you feel. We've been trying for #1 for 3 years!! And still no luck even with fertility treatments. It's a rough time.

 

[HerdingMomma]

I do hope you get your miracle very soon!

 

[WHITNEYG]

I am new to this thread, and I'm so glad I've found it, as I was told on March 17th, I have an ectopic pregnancy. I went in to have an ultrasound at 6w2d and they discovered that my uterus was empty, but did find a mass in my Fallopian tube. I knew something was wrong when the first thing the ultrasound tech pointed out were my bowels and ovaries. This is my first pregnancy, so I'm very confused and overwhelmed by this devastating news. My levels that day were at 485. I was treated with methotrexate on March 18th. On Friday March 21st my levels had gone up to 929, but yesterday (March 24th) my levels had gone down to 651, (30% drop). I know everyone is different, but I'm curious as to how long it will take for my levels to be negative. If anyone can give any personal experiences, advice or questions I should be asking my doctor, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[HerdingMomma]

So sorry you're going through this, too. Here is the rundown on my levels from start to finish....

13dpo: 46
15: 108
20: 115
22: 185
24: 159
29: 371
30: 478 - MTX
33: 542
36: 616
37: MTX
41: 477
44: 317
51: 20!!!
58: 3

 

[Savasanna]

I'm so sorry you've had to find yourself posting here. It's really really sucky, but this thread has been really helpful for me so I hope it'll be helpful for you too!

I was diagnosed ectopic by process of elimination. I started bleeding at 6w and they thought they saw a small gestational sac close to my cervix at 7w, meaning I was miscarrying and it should happen any moment. I was given misoprostol to help move the process along. However my betas continued to steadily rise to the point where they concluded the "sac" they saw wasn't a gestational sac and the "cyst" they thought they saw in the ultrasound was likely actually the ectopic pregnancy. So I was given a shot of mtx at what would've been 8w3d.

My numbers on the day of the shot (a Monday) were 1201. By Thursday they fell to 341 and the following Monday they were 81. One week after that (so two weeks after getting the mtx) my numbers were 4.6 and I was declared no longer pregnant. I continued to bleed until Friday of last week - so a total of 5 weeks from when I first started bleeding.

It felt like it took forever. Again - I'm so sorry you've found yourself here but I hope we can offer you some comfort and support. Please feel free to ask anything - everyone's experience is different but I know I wanted to know as much as I could while it was happening to me.

All the best.

 

[WHITNEYG]

Thank you Savasana and HerdingMomma. I go back on Monday for another round of labs, and I'm hoping that my levels are continuing to drop at a decent rate. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. Not only am I emotionally drained, but I'm also mentally drained from obsessing over levels dropping, spotting, cramping, estimating the time it might take to be negative (when I actually have no way to control or predict this), if my af will return to normal, or how quickly it will come once my hcg is negative. I just can't seem to get all of this off my mind. I know I need to let go and try to not stress over things I can't control, but that's easier said than done. It seems impossible to just forget all of this when it's still happening. Seeing some of the success stories from this thread does give me some peace of mind for the future, I'm just extremely impatient on when the future will be the present. In the meantime, I'm trying to do all the research I can so that I can be informed on where we go from here, tests to make sure I don't have any damage to my tube or what might have caused this etc. Until then I will be anxiously awaiting my next Hcg on Monday.

 

[Savasanna]

It is easier said than done, yes. I finally found some peace once my levels started dropping. I felt like at least we were rounding the corner to the whole process being over. However, I also had a few weeks in there where I knew the pregnancy wasn't viable (but wasn't ending) so I didn't go straight thinking everything was ok to getting the mtx. Just try to be kind to yourself. It's ok if you're having a bad day. It's ok if you're having a good day. Try to remember that while this is a shitty shitty situation, one day this all will be a distant memory that is shadowed by greatness.

At least that's what I told myself. Some days I found comfort from that, some days I didn't. It was touch and go. And that's ok.

As for me - I *think* I might be ovulating. I'm not temping right now so I don't know but I think I had some slight abdomen and leg cramping this morning. It's funny how when you're actively trying you can feel everything that's happening in your body, but when you're not all these feelings/sensations go by barely noticed. In any event - if I AM ovulating then that just means my cycle is returning normally, which is a relief!

How're things going for you, Herding?

 

[Gray]

Hello everyone I am currently going through and ectopic I found out on March 5th I was pregnant during a regular check up at the doctors. I was so excited because it had come as a surprise. I was not expecting to hear I was pregnant as I was trying to recover from the one in august, but you could imagine the pain I felt once I was told that the pregnancy would not be viable. This is my second ectopic over the last 6 months. I go for an hsg once my numbers drop. Tomorrow is my appointment my betas were 5700 and have dropped to 670 over the weeks I am hoping I am at zero tomorrow. Has anyone here heard of them? Also has anyone here had and HSG test done before? If so how was your experience?

 

[Savasanna]

Welcome, Gray.

I'm sorry you're going through this again. Having this happen a second time in a row must be devestating. I've never had an HSG test and don't know much about them. What do they test for?

I hope your appointment goes well for you today

 

[WHITNEYG]

Gray, I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this for a second time. I was also just diagnosed with ectopic on March 17th. I've done a little research about the hsg, but not a lot. I do know it's basically a scope and they go up and look around to make sure you don't have any damage, scar tissue or any other underlying issue in your tubes, ovaries or uterus. From a couple of blog posts I have read you're awake for the procedure and it helps if you stay relaxed, the more you tense up the more painful it is. I am hoping my doctor suggests we do this procedure once my levels hit 0, because I have had symptoms of endometriosis in the past, but for endometriosis to be diagnosed you have to have a surgical procedure, which I haven't. With the hsg test we would be able to see if I have any build up of tissue on my ovaries or fallopian tube which could have caused this ectopic. This information might not be much help, but from everything I have read the HSG test would give the doctors more insight as to what might be going on. Please keep us updated.