Waiting to try for #2 post ectopic pregnancy - ttc July

[loeylo]

July 2021 marks exactly a year since I came off contraception to ttc #2. July 2021 is around when it will be safe for us to resume trying again.

Back story - we are both 32, been together for 11 years. We have a 5 year old daughter and a year old border collie.

We always fell pregnant really easily - before dd, we had two unplanned pregnancies which lead to miscarriage. Then, we were ntnp and I had an ectopic pregnancy in my right tube. We saved the tube by doing methotrexate. Dd was conceived 5 months later, on our first month NTNP. She was born on the international “Wave of Light” for miscarriage remembrance, which is pretty poignant in memory of her three older siblings who we never met.

Life went on and we were happy as a family of 3, various things happened which postponed our plans to extend our family - dd was a difficult baby and toddler, df had some mental health issues, then he changed career, then our dog had to have chemo which meant he couldn’t be around anyone pregnant (his treatment lasted 18 months) - then I broke my ankle, then covid hit.

During lockdown, we decided to throw caution to the wind and I came off my pill. We had one cycle and I conceived in the next cycle, unfortunately it was an early loss. We started trying again right away.

My cycles went messed up for the first time ever in November 2020. I only ovulated twice between November and February, so I was sent for progesterone testing on day 21 of my March cycle. We had been using ovulation tests for a while. My results came back that I had ovulated.

I continued to get BFN up until 16dpo. I never felt pregnant despite initial betas and progesterone levels being good. At my 6 week scan, it was confirmed I had an ectopic, this time in my left tube.

I had methotrexate on the 24th of March. My 4 day check showed that my hcg is continuing to rise. I’m back tomorrow to see if I need a second dose or surgery.

I need to wait until my hcg goes back down to zero, and then take folic acid for 3 months before I can ttc. So I’m here for at least three months!

 

[loeylo]

I am predominantly going to use this as a diary to log everything. I started a ttc thread, then a pregnancy one, then an ectopic pregnancy one. So I’ll keep everything here until we try again.

While waiting, I’m gonna set a few achievable goals so I can be healthy and happy when we are ready to try. These can just be things that I can’t do when pregnant too.

Goal 1 - completely hair free legs - I’ve got a machine to do it and never finish the cycles off. So I’ll do it while we are waiting.
Goal 2 - lose about a stone. Even half a stone.
Goal 3 - cut down on Diet Coke and only drink wine at the weekend (no cheeky midweek glasses!)
Goal 4 - decorate dds bedroom and playroom. New flooring comes next week. Baby will eventually be in there too - it’s a HUGE room - really it’s two separate rooms. I think we will do a bedroom for them to share and a shared playroom, but we might end up giving them a room each and no playroom.
Goal 5 - get a good vitamin regime going.


That’s the main stuff.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Good luck for your goals

 

[Mummy2Corban]

Sounds like a plan!

 

[sadeyedlady]

Following your diary. Goal setting is a fantastic idea. I find when the weather starts to get a bit better goals are easier to achieve (especially the hairy legs goal)

Hope you're keeping well. Fingers crossed you won't need the surgery

 

[loeylo]

Had a second dose of methotrexate yesterday. I really hope it works.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Fingers crossed

 

[Mummy2Corban]

I really hope this second dose does what it needs too. X

 

[loeylo]

I really hope this second dose does what it needs too. X

So do I!
The midwife said that anecdotally, they see more people coming in for second doses who have hcg at the higher end of the scale where they can use methotrexate. So although it’s 20-30% of people who need a second dose, very few people take methotrexate with hcg as high as mine, and they find higher hcg = more drugs needed.
She can’t think of a time that a second dose hasn’t worked though.
And my rupture risk is more based on the size of my mass rather than the hcg level. Based on hcg I’d be at really high risk, but the mass on my tube is only 7mm, which puts me at low risk. And with my hcg no longer increasing, she doesn’t think the mass will have grown significantly.
I’m not out of the woods. I might still need surgery.
Next bloods are Friday morning. These ones are just to have a new baseline, so no decision will be made unless it’s ridiculously high.
I feel fine this time round. Now where near the exhaustion of last time. Slightly crampy but not even period like.
My main symptom is bloating. My stomach is huge. Not sure if it’s because of the methotrexate or the ectopic.

 

[Bevziibubble]

 

[Mummy2Corban]

Well I’m hoping the surgery won’t be the case and the metho does it job. Let’s hope these bloods have shown a reduced hcg. It sucks all the waiting around doesn’t it. I had methotrexate for just over 3 months with my molar and hcg results twice a week. Oh my it’s horrible waiting on those numbers! Fingers crossed lovely

 

[sadeyedlady]

How are you feeling @loeylo ?

 

[loeylo]

How are you feeling @loeylo ?

Thanks for asking!
I’m doing okay.
My Friday bloods (day 4 round 2) dropped by about 25% - they went from 5200 to 3800.
I’m at the hospital right now waiting on my day 7 round 2 results. I’ll know within an hour if I’m in the clear. I’ll move to weekly bloods if so, which I’m REALLY hoping for in ways I can’t even fully explain.
If I have another 25% drop it’ll take me to around 2800, they need at least 15% so they NEED to be below 3200.
If they don’t go that low, I’m going to push for more time because I had such a good reduction from day 1-4.
Basically, anything but surgery.

 

[sadeyedlady]

Sounding positive! Hope you get the results you want today

 

[Bevziibubble]

Fingers crossed for your results

 

[loeylo]

They didn’t drop as low as I hoped

3360 which is just over 14% drop but they are okay because they dropped from day 1-4 as well.

I’m down by 2000 overall.

Not back for another week now! Yay!

 

[Bevziibubble]

Glad you don't have to go back for another week

 

[Suggerhoney]

Hi hon
So glad u don't have to go back for another week.
I really hope the levels wud of dropping enough so u won't need surgery.
Thinking of you sweety

 

[xxmyheartxx]

Glad they are dropping hun, thinking of you

 

[loeylo]

Thanks so much everyone.

cramping was a lot sharper earlier today. Technically I’m 8 weeks and still “pregnant” so I don’t know how much womb lining and such there will be? I was 8 weeks with one of my losses and it was rough in terms of blood loss. So do I count it from when I started to see a decrease in hcg? The hospital said they can’t really tell me because everyone is different and I’m already an “unusual case”

I had naproxen earlier for pain. Hormonally, I’m bad too. It feels like the worlds worst pms.

In terms of other things I’ve lasered my legs and armpits once. Not started on healthy eating because I am not feeling well enough.