We got home at around 2 am from the hospital. We were tired but happy- also worried and sad at the same time. At 4 am I woke up in incredible pain, but managed to relax enough to go back to sleep. At 7 am I woke up again and told Kevin I couldn’t handle the pain and wanted to go back to the ER. We went back, and they did a quick exam and this doctor told us that miscarriage was eminent…
Tubal Reversal and Pregnancy: Ectopic or Miscarriage?
It was to soon to do further testing and they sent me home with 2 pain pills. They said to watch for heavy bleeding and passing out. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday in the bed, and Sunday afternoon got up to more pain, heavy bleeding, and I ended up passing out on the floor of my bathroom.
I figured I had miscarried and didn’t feel up to going back to the ER, so I put it off again. At work Monday, I was still bleeding a lot and cramping, mostly on my left side. So we went back to the ER where they repeated the HCG levels, said the levels had dropped to 500, and to follow up Wednesday with an OBGYN. By Wednesday I was feeling slightly better but still cramping, I considered putting off the appointment as I didn’t see a need to be told yet again “Sorry- you had a miscarriage”. But Kevin insisted that I needed to go, so we went.
This was a new doctor for me – I had never met him. He did an exam, and sent me down the hall for an ultrasound. The nurse looked around a lot, commenting on where my ovaries were and the like. I told her what the ultrasound tech in the ER had said and what we saw ourselves, the “bubble” that may or may not have been the sac was no longer there. She said she would let the doctor take a look at the ultrasound and paged him in. He walked in and she started moving towards the left side and he said,
” You have an ectopic pregnancy and you need surgery tonight.”
To say we were shocked was putting it mildly. The ER had assured us there was no ectopic, and here this doctor was saying it was and I had to have surgery -tonight! I was terrified, upset, and devastated. I asked if he could save the tube and he said he would try, but couldn’t promise. He gave us some instructions and paperwork and we were sent to the hospital.
Ectopic Pregnancy After Tubal Reversal
We arrived at the hospital and were rushed through admissions, and into the pre-operative area. They wouldn’t let Kevin come back with me at first and I was getting more and more upset. They finally got through with the pre operative check-in and let him come back for just a few minutes before taking me off to surgery. I remember waking up later and asking where he was and all I could do was to keep asking for him. I must have asked if they took the tube because I remember someone telling me he had to remove it. I don’t remember much else from that night, or at least nothing that bears mentioning in detail. I will say this- Kevin was- as always- my rock through the whole ordeal.
One Tube After Tubal Pregnancy Surgery
I spent the night in the hospital and was released late the next evening. It was snowing that night and I remember Kevin saying that it had snowed the whole way home from Chapel Hill as well. I got home and spent the next week mostly in bed. By the second week I was moving around better, and at my 2 week follow up, the doctor suggested an HSG when I got my first cycle in a few weeks. So, once again, we had another plan of action.
Georgia’s next article has been published and is Pregnancies After Tubal Reversal: Georgia Peach Describes Mixed Emotions.
Submitted by Georgia Peach
Chances of Successful Pregnancy After Tubal Reversal
The chances of getting pregnant after tubal reversal surgery are excellent for many reversal patients. The chance of a pregnancy after reversal depend on the age of the patient and the type of tubal ligation procedure which was reversed. On average, approximately 70% of all our ligation reversal patients will become pregnant. Many women will experience the joy of a successful pregnancy after tubal reversal surgery; however, some will not. No medical treatment always provides a perfect outcome.
Risks of Tubal Reversal Surgery
The main risk of tubal reversal surgery is ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy). The risk of ectopic pregnancy after ligation reversal is 10-15%. We encourage following our Early Pregnancy Protocol and having a local doctor who can see patients within a week of having a positive pregnancy test at home.
Early evaluation of a tubal reversal pregnancy can let patients know if the pregnancy is normal, a pregnancy miscarriage, or an ectopic even before the pregnancies can be seen by ultrasound.
In previous blog publications, we have discussed the risks of tubal reversal surgery and the risks of IVF.
If a tubal reversal patient does have an ectopic pregnancy then this abnormal pregnancy can be treated with methotrexate medication, which will stop the pregnancy from growing inside the tube and allow the body to absorb the pregnancy. With successful methotrexate treatment tubal surgery will not be needed and a patient can save her tube and still become pregnant. We strongly encourage patients to have a doctor with whom they have a close relationship and who is willing to follow the early pregnancies with early pregnancy HCG blood testing.
Pregnancy With One Tube
If a tubal reversal patient does have surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, the tube can be saved by only removing the tubal pregnancy; however, many of these surgeries can result in complete removal of the fallopian tube containing the ectopic pregnancy. If one tube is removed pregnancy can still occur through the other tube, but we do worry about the chances of successful pregnancy after reversal being decreased in this case. We do have patients who report successful pregnancies with one fallopian tube.
Submitted by Dr. Charles Monteith
