Out of Place

Ectopic Pregnancy

By Michele St. Martin

Early monitoring and detection is the key, as is remembering that as serious as ectopic pregnancy is, it's relatively rare and with proper medical treatment, most women can go on to conceive a normal uterine pregnancy. Mary Lewandowski did.

"In the spring of 1996, I got pregnant for the first time," Lewandowski says. "My husband and I had been trying for almost a year, and we were just so excited! I didn't have very strong pregnancy symptoms, and I figured I was one of the lucky ones. And then I started having unexplained pain. I just didn't feel right. I was able to get my doctor to move up my first appointment, and we learned that there was something wrong – I had an ectopic pregnancy. The fetus had implanted in my tube. My doctor could tell by looking at the ultrasound." Lewandowski was able to avoid surgical intervention – a shot of methotrexate worked for her. And she was soon pregnant again.

"We conceived Joshua three months later, and both David, my husband, and I held our breaths until after the doctor confirmed that the pregnancy was a normal uterine one," she says.

Lewandowski feels strongly that women should be aware of the possibility of ectopic pregnancy. "I really urge all women to educate themselves about ectopic pregnancy, and to make sure that they watch for symptoms," she says. "Don't think it couldn't happen to you, because if it can. I don't have any risk factors at all that my doctor could determine, yet I had an ectopic. Mine could have been so much worse! Why risk your life and your fertility?"

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.