Ectopic pregnancy can you still have a period

The first period can occur up to six weeks after the ectopic pregnancy although it may not be like your normal period. It might be heavier or lighter and it may be more painful than expected.

The period after that is usually more like your usual pattern. However, although there is no medical reason for it, women do very often report some irregularity to their cycle for several months after an ectopic pregnancy.

Broadly speaking, doctors consider menstrual period cycles of between 23 to 42 days to be within normal parameters. If the first day of your last period was more than 42 days ago, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the possible reasons for this. You will continue to have normal periods every month after the removal of one or both Fallopian tubes.

The menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones produced in different sites in the body, predominantly in the ovaries, and a period is the shedding of the lining of the womb. The Fallopian tubes play no part in controlling your period cycle.

Periods usually continue normally even in the very rare cases when one of the ovaries is removed as part of the surgical process. After surgery for an ectopic pregnancy, you may have some adhesions which might cause some pelvic pain and pain at ovulation but this usually settles.

Some do report that they can feel themselves ovulate, often because there is more awareness of sensations within our bodies after suffering an ectopic pregnancy. There is no evidence that an ectopic pregnancy affects or changes the timing of menopause. However, if it was necessary to undertake surgery on the ovary or remove one of the ovaries, this can result in menopause developing slightly earlier although the impact does not appear to be significant. It is unlikely that your periods will change following the removal of your ovary.

Typically, the remaining ovary compensates and produces sufficient hormones to control the menstrual cycle so your periods are likely to settle into a regular cycle over the next few months even though one of your ovaries has been removed. Are you ready to return to everyday activities? Click here to get answers to your questions. Do you questions on following up with the hospital? Click here to find the answers. Your GP can do this test, but it will take a few days to get the result, while the hospital and EPU will have the result in a few hours.

This is why, if you have symptoms and a surprisingly negative urine pregnancy test, it is better to be seen at the hospital. During pregnancy, it is not uncommon to experience a period-like ache in your lower tummy and back.

However, the following should be investigated:. One-sided pain in your tummy which may be persistent which means it continues or intermittent which means it comes and goes. The pain may have begun suddenly or been gradual. Discomfort with bloating and a feeling of fullness not associated with eating when lying down, particularly if you have already had a child. Shoulder tip pain is exactly where it says — not the neck or the back but the tip of your shoulder.

If you look to the left over your shoulder and then cast your eyes down, the tip of your shoulder is where your shoulder ends and your arm starts. Shoulder tip pain is very distinctive. You know when you have it because it is a very weird pain you have probably never experienced before. The pain may have begun suddenly. Shoulders cause pain when we are stressed because we hold ourselves more rigidly and muscles in the back and neck go in to spasm or you may have slept in an awkward position — this is most likely not shoulder tip pain related to an ectopic pregnancy.

Significant shoulder tip pain tends to develop with other symptoms such as feeling unwell, abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding, faintness, abdominal bloating and fullness, or pain when opening your bowels.

It is caused by internal bleeding irritating the diaphragm the muscle in your chest which helps you to breathe when you breathe in and out. Some pain and a change in your normal bladder and bowel pattern are features of a typical pregnancy for some. If you are experiencing these symptoms with or without shoulder tip pain present, seek urgent medical attention. This may be by calling an ambulance.

It is difficult at times to know what symptoms are concerning. If you are at all worried, you should seek medical advice. This may involve a blood test in the first instance or an ultrasound scan dependent on how many weeks pregnant you are and your symptoms. It is important to remember that pregnancy symptoms are common and that not all experiencing such symptoms have an ectopic pregnancy. However, it is important to be vigilant and if in doubt, seek medical attention and advice.

Professionals Leaflets Guidance Reports Collaborations. The irritation to the phrenic nerve causes referred pain pain that is felt elsewhere in the shoulder blade. Diarrhoea and vomiting — an ectopic pregnancy can cause similar symptoms to a gastrointestinal disease and is often associated with diarrhoea and vomiting. It can be difficult to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy from the symptoms alone, as they can be similar to other conditions.

If an ectopic pregnancy is detected at an early stage, a medication called methotrexate is sometimes needed to stop the egg developing. The pregnancy tissue is then absorbed into the woman's body. Methotrexate is not always needed, as in around half of cases the egg dies before it can grow larger. Ectopic pregnancies detected at a more advanced stage will require surgery to remove the pregnancy sac.

If an ectopic pregnancy is left to develop, there is a risk that the fertilised egg could continue to grow and cause the fallopian tube to split open rupture , which can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. A ruptured fallopian tube is a medical emergency. If you think that you or someone in your care has experienced this complication, call and ask for an ambulance. In a normal pregnancy an egg is fertilised by sperm in one of the fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the womb.

The fertilised egg then moves into the womb and implants itself into the womb lining endometrium , where it grows and develops. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the womb. It most commonly occurs in a fallopian tube this is known as a tubal pregnancy , often as the result of damage to the fallopian tube or the tube not working properly.

Less commonly in around 2 in cases , an ectopic pregnancy can occur in an ovary, in the abdominal space or in the cervix neck of the womb. In many cases, it's not clear why a woman has an ectopic pregnancy.

Sometimes it happens when there's a problem with the fallopian tubes, such as them being narrow or blocked. The loss of your pregnancy at any stage can have a huge impact on you and your partner. One day you are pregnant and planning your future life with your child, and then within a short time, your pregnancy ends. The ending of an ectopic pregnancy is a form of miscarriage — and the feelings that a woman and her partner may experience can be similarly difficult.

It is not uncommon for feelings of grief and bereavement to last for 6 to 12 months, although these feelings usually improve with time. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby offers free and confidential support and counselling to women, their partners, friends and relatives. Call on Many women affected by a miscarriage benefit from counselling.

SANDS miscarriage, stillborn and neonatal death support provide support groups for parents and their family whose baby has died through stillbirth , miscarriage , ectopic pregnancy and medically advised termination. It is normally recommended that you wait for at least 2 menstrual cycles before trying for another pregnancy, as this will allow time for your fallopian tubes to recover if treated with methotrexate, you will need to wait at least 3 to 4 months.

However, many women are not emotionally ready to try for another pregnancy so soon. Your chances of having a successful pregnancy will depend on the underlying health of your fallopian tubes. If you cannot conceive in the normal way then fertility treatment such as in-vitro fertilisation IVF may be an option.

IVF treatment is where an egg is fertilised by a sperm outside the womb usually in a test tube and, after fertilisation, the embryo is surgically implanted into the womb. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.