I had an ectopic and went on to have 2 normal, healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies afterwards. IVF wasn’t suggested by any of my doctors.

I'm so sorry this happened to your sister and it's lovely to have a sister like you looking for information for her - it's exhausting to do yourself! The next time she gets pregnant will probably be brutal until it's confirmed in utero. Ditto what others have said above - so many mental and physical risks with IVF that if she can get pregnant naturally she's statistically more likely to have a healthy pregnancy than not. Can she potentially have another ectopic? Yes. I'm currently in that boat hoping to find it in utero post ectopic! But I keep telling myself that statistically, it's more likely to be a healthy normal pregnancy (especially at her young age!!!). But there are also risks of ectopic with IVF - which is weird because it's like don't they put it directly in the uterus?! They're supposed to but it doesn't always happen that way - sometimes it can continue out right into the tube. Now I would think after multiple ectopics the statistics might swing to being in favor of IVF but not after one (at least that's what I was told!) especially if she has both of her tubes. There is a test called an HSG that most fertility specialists require if you want to work with them. It checks to see if your tubes are "open" or closed. A lot of people recommend doing that to be sure your tubes are open post ectopic. I actually had an HSG right before my ectopic and it showed everything was clear. The paperwork you sign does say that you understand an HSG procedure could increase your risk of ectopic. I had two in utero pregnancies before this. Did that cause it? Who knows! But I just had an ultrasound before trying to conceive again and they said they didn't see any significant scarring or anything that would lead them to believe there were major issues or reasons for an HSG. Who knows! But I keep reminding myself that our bodies are designed to procreate and hoping for the best! If your sister didn't have any of the risk factors associated with ectopic (smoking, infections, IUI/IVF, birth control, etc.) it could have totally been a fluke. That's what I'm hoping for!

Anonymous wrote:Your sister is lucky it was caught bf it burst. Absolutely don’t jump to IVF - it is expensive, ridiculously time consuming and emotionally draining, and can’t just be jumped into in a month. There are also potential risks w/ all the hormones, and the side effects are brutal. She should try naturally bc she’s clearly very fertile to have gotten pregnant so quickly. At her age, she should try at least 6 more months before jumping into something more invasive. I believe since hers was caught before it ruptured, they don’t even require her to wait a month before trying again.

This is good information, thanks. To show you how dumb I can be I thought they could just remove the monthly egg and add the sperm and insert directly into the uterus. You’re right, she needs to give it time.

Your sister is lucky it was caught bf it burst. Absolutely don’t jump to IVF - it is expensive, ridiculously time consuming and emotionally draining, and can’t just be jumped into in a month. There are also potential risks w/ all the hormones, and the side effects are brutal. She should try naturally bc she’s clearly very fertile to have gotten pregnant so quickly. At her age, she should try at least 6 more months before jumping into something more invasive. I believe since hers was caught before it ruptured, they don’t even require her to wait a month before trying again.

Anonymous wrote:So sorry this happened to your sister. It is so scary and horrible.

I had an ectopic pregnancy that burst, resulting in emergency surgery to remove the tube. I got pregnant three times after that, each time implanting in the uterus. I was screened early all three times to rule out the likelihood of ectopic (through repeat HCG tests). There is some data that it is harder to get pregnant with just one tube, but I got pregnant within 1-7 months of trying each time.

I’ll also note that when I had my ectopic, I got pregnant while on the birth control pill. I think this contributed. With no such contributory factors for your sister, she might worry whether something is wrong with her other tube. But I’m sure doctors can advise better.
Best of luck to her!

That must have been scary. My sister saw a doctor so early that they caught it before it burst. That’s great news about your successful pregnancies!

Anonymous wrote:IVF has significant risks. As long as her doctor intends to monitor her for another ectopic, what is the benefit of jumping to IVF?

That’s what I was wondering. Are there any benefits to intervention? She’s going to be following up with the doctor in a couple of weeks and I’m just looking at information.

IVF has significant risks. As long as her doctor intends to monitor her for another ectopic, what is the benefit of jumping to IVF?

So sorry this happened to your sister. It is so scary and horrible.

I had an ectopic pregnancy that burst, resulting in emergency surgery to remove the tube. I got pregnant three times after that, each time implanting in the uterus. I was screened early all three times to rule out the likelihood of ectopic (through repeat HCG tests). There is some data that it is harder to get pregnant with just one tube, but I got pregnant within 1-7 months of trying each time.

I’ll also note that when I had my ectopic, I got pregnant while on the birth control pill. I think this contributed. With no such contributory factors for your sister, she might worry whether something is wrong with her other tube. But I’m sure doctors can advise better.
Best of luck to her!

My younger sister just had an ectopic pregnancy at 32 years old. She just started trying to have a baby and she conceived within 2 months. Her first appointment showed the fetus in the tube and she had to have immediate surgery to remove the fallopian tube and fetus.

I was wondering if it’s better to try IVF so she can bypass her remaining fallopian tube. Her doctor said she’s at higher risk for it to happen again. Had anyone done this for similar reasons?

She found out she was pregnant before her period was missing so she had about six weeks to be so happy. We told her she can give us a dollar every time she said the word “pregnant”.