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Ectopic pregnancy is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that affects 1 in 90 pregnancies and it is the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester.

The EPT1000 will see Sean and I run and walk 1000km in 2021 for the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust who have been so helpful and a wonderful source of information to us.

So here’s our story...

In April 2019, Sean and I learned we were expecting our first bundle of joy. Just a few weeks later, I woke up one morning feeling unwell and was worried it may be an ectopic pregnancy. I didn’t have the ‘classic symptoms’ of pain and bleeding and so I delayed going to hospital until the shoulder pain started. I ended up in emergency surgery where they took our baby, and a piece of my body with it. I went home physically incomplete, scarred and empty handed.

For so long I have been so angry at the treatment I received that day (even though it was literally life-saving) and I’m also appalled that, as a healthcare professional, I was not adequately trained on this condition. As I researched, I discovered that ectopic pregnancy is a common condition and not ‘rare’ as I had been taught in the past. It affects over 11000 pregnancies in the UK each year and up to a third of women present with atypical symptoms which makes it more difficult to spot and diagnose. There is also a lack of education among the public and healthcare professionals alike to accurately identify this condition early enough. Without early diagnosis, women lose their treatment choices and may also lose a good chunk of their fertility due to receiving radical treatment. Although very rare in the UK, women do still die from this condition with an average of 2 deaths per year in the UK. Some may self-resolve but if they don’t, they are life-threatening if not treated.

Only now do I realise how serious my condition was that day before I was seen. I lost 20-25% of my blood volume. I wasn’t yet 30 and I hadn’t reached my first wedding anniversary. When I think of the treatment that I received and was given zero choice in, I am so furious that this isn’t a well-known condition. You never know when this condition could strike you or someone close to you, regardless of how many successful or viable pregnancies you or they have had previously.

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust (EPT) have been amazing. They are so responsive and have so much information and support available. They do fabulous work to raise awareness of this condition, actively promote research and provide education both to the public and healthcare professionals. 

Anything you can spare at all for this amazing charity to help them continue to do their work for the thousands of women like me will be hugely appreciated by the EPT and by Sean and me.

Please share our link and let’s get people talking about ectopic pregnancy! Thank you ❤️