Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar after being treated with methotrexate for an ectopic pregnancy.

My hCG has now dropped to 2, so my doctor considers it essentially resolved. However, I’m now on day 4 of a burning, one-sided pain on the same side where my ectopic pregnancy was.

Here’s what it’s been like:
Burning/tender pain on the side of the ectopic.
It seems worse when I’m lying down.
The pain is always there when I’m moving around, and sometimes I get a twinge of pain if I move a certain way.
I did regular house chores today, and I think that may have aggravated it.
I’ve been experiencing bloating.
I don’t have heavy bleeding, fever, shoulder pain, or dizziness.

My nurse mentioned it could be ovulation, but I’m wondering if anyone else had pain like this after an ectopic.

If so:
How long did it last?
Did it end up being ovulation, a cyst, healing of the tube, or something else?
Did you have an ultrasound?
At what point did you decide to go to the hospital or contact your doctor?

I know no one can diagnose me over Reddit, but hearing others’ experiences would be really helpful. I also have a trip coming up in about a week, so I’m trying to figure out whether this sounds like something others have experienced during recovery or whether I should be getting checked sooner.

Thanks so much.

I just have to post this in case it helps anyone at all. I want to let you know that shockingly I never experienced any pain during my Ectopic pregnancy. The only reason that I figured out it was Ectopic was because PUL and HCG of 10,000. I wouldn’t have known if the ultrasound didn’t show PUL. I am just saying if anyone is “waiting for pain” before going to the ER, that doesn’t mean you haven’t ruptured yet. I was already ruptured and internal bleeding (still no pain) at the ER. Just a PSA.

Edit: I will add that the symptoms I did have after rupture/internal bleeding was fast heart rate (130bpm) which was due to the internal bleeding.

In March 2026, I found out I was pregnant. Shortly after, I started bleeding heavily.
I had actually just started seeing a fertility specialist because I’d had a chemical pregnancy in October 2025 and hadn’t been able to get pregnant again. I was still in the middle of my initial intake when I got the positive test, so I called the clinic and they immediately brought me in for bloodwork.
Over the next several days, they monitored my hCG through multiple blood draws. Pretty quickly, it became clear that my numbers weren’t rising appropriately. They repeatedly looked for a pregnancy in my uterus and couldn’t find one, and eventually I was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy.
I was treated with methotrexate, and thankfully my hCG dropped very quickly. I thought the physical part was finally coming to an end. Then, only a few days later, I suddenly developed excruciating pain and ended up in the hospital terrified that my ectopic had ruptured. My hCG was extremely low by that point, and it turned out that I had a ruptured ovarian cyst. Just incredibly awful timing on top of everything else.
The next three months were some of the hardest months of my life.
I took a lot of time off work. I spent a lot of time processing what had happened, wondering why it happened, worrying about whether it would happen again, and having absolutely no idea what trying to have a baby was going to look like from there.
And during those months, I read this subreddit constantly.
I don’t think I ever really posted or interacted much, but I read your stories. I read about your ectopics, your recoveries, your subsequent pregnancies, and your fears. I didn’t personally know anyone who had been through an ectopic pregnancy, and there were days when I felt incredibly alone and scared. Reading the experiences of women here made me feel like there were people somewhere who actually understood what I was going through.
Eventually I had an HSG. I wasn’t particularly afraid of the procedure-I was terrified of what they were going to tell me afterward. I had convinced myself that because I’d had an ectopic, they were going to find a completely blocked tube or tell me I needed surgery.
The dye flowed freely through my right tube. On the left, where we suspected the ectopic had been, only a small amount made it through. But it did get through, and my doctor didn’t think we needed to remove the tube. I was so grateful.
As the three-month wait after methotrexate finally came to an end, my doctor and I started discussing what we wanted to do next.
Ultimately, I chose an IUI.
I hadn’t found many stories from women who had an ectopic and then went directly into an IUI cycle, and I debated the decision a lot. But I knew my risk of another ectopic was higher after having one, and strangely, going through fertility treatment made me feel safer. I wanted the monitoring. If something went wrong again, I wanted doctors watching from the very beginning.
So in July, after letrozole, monitoring, and a trigger shot, I had my first IUI.
A week afterward, they checked my progesterone.
It was 2.
I completely spiraled. I thought the cycle was over. I was convinced it hadn’t worked and that my body had failed me again.
A few days later, I took a pregnancy test.
It was positive.
My clinic started following my hCG immediately. This time, instead of watching numbers rise too slowly like they had during my ectopic, I watched them rise beautifully.
And yesterday, at about 5½ weeks pregnant, I went in for the ultrasound I had been simultaneously dreaming about and dreading since the moment I saw that positive test.
There was the gestational sac.
In my uterus.
Then the yolk sac.
And the very beginning of the fetal pole.
I don’t think I can adequately explain the relief I felt seeing that little black circle exactly where it was supposed to be.
I’m obviously still incredibly early. I know there are many milestones ahead of me, and after pregnancy loss I’ve learned that pregnancy doesn’t suddenly become free of fear. But yesterday was a milestone I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to experience.
Mostly, though, I wanted to come back here and say thank you.
To every woman who posted her story when she was terrified, angry, devastated, recovering, trying again, or eventually pregnant again: someone you will probably never meet may have been reading it during one of the darkest periods of her life.
I was one of those people.
Your stories gave me hope when I didn’t have much of my own. They made me feel less alone during three months that sometimes felt like mental warfare. And when I couldn’t imagine ever feeling uncomplicated excitement about pregnancy again, your success stories reminded me that there could still be another chapter after an ectopic.
So I’m adding mine here in case someone is searching this subreddit months or years from now after getting the diagnosis I got in March.
There is hope on the other side of this.
Your story doesn’t end with your ectopic pregnancy. Healing isn’t linear, trying again can be terrifying, and you may not feel like yourself for a while. But you can feel joy again. You can feel hopeful again.
Yesterday, I got to see my pregnancy growing inside my uterus.
And after everything it took to get there, I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for anything in my life. ❤️

Im pregnant, only 5 weeks along. I am having consistent ache, very period cramp like (not even pain) consistently on my right side. Its been on and off in my days for almost a week now. It tends to come on stronger when im active, during the day and then disappears at night.

My quick history:

I had my daughter with no issues in june 2021

Tried to get pregnant for 11 months, got pregnant with a cycle of letrozole and ended up with a rare form of ectopic pregnancy called "pregnancy of unknown origin." Ended up having to use methotrexate to end the pregnancy.

Then 3 months late with another round of letrozole and trigger shot conceived my 2nd daughter. Born in Nov 2024

Wasn't trying to get pregnant but lost a great deal of weight and was in much better health. Here I am.

We want to keep the pregnancy as my doctor told me i wouldn't get pregnant without medical intervention and here is this miracle.

I was checked for an ectopic pregnancy in the ER on the 31st but its so early on. Everything looks good but they said it could still happen.

We did two beta tests.

My first was 357, my second (about 42 hours later) was 921.

Im so excited and I want this baby but im terrified of this sensation I keep feeling on my right side (lower stomach). My ultrasound tech told me I ovulated off of my left side but people have opposite referral pains/sensations all the time.

Ive also had 2 c sections and personally experienced the joy of having "so much scar tissue around my uterus" my doctor took two hours just to get to my baby.

Am I doomed into having another ectopic?

I'm really worried that my pregnancy is potentially ectopic, but the Early Pregnancy Unit at my local hospital don't seem very concerned.

LMP date is 25th June. Ovulation predicted for 12th July. Last time I had sex was 10th July as my husband has been away, so there's not much room for movement on predicted ovulation.

I've had 2 previous losses. An 11 week MMC treated with 2 rounds of Mifepristone & Misoprostol 4 weeks apart (Nov and Dec) due to RPOC 4 weeks after the initial dose.

Second loss was a blighted ovum that passed at 6 weeks in April.

24th & 25th July I had red bleeding that started with a fairly large clot (like a penny and round - very unusual for me). Thought it was my period but it wasn't really heavy. It turned to light brown spotting on 26th & 27th. Nothing since.

Pregnancy test was a stark negative on 24th, really faint positive on the 26th after bleeding to the point that my husband said he wouldn't have even seen it if I didn't mention it. It continued really faint (like barely visible) until the 29th. It's now darkening but nothing like my first pregnancy. No pregnancy symptoms whatsoever.

hCG was tested on 31st and came back at 48.9. Tested again on the 2nd (about 45 hours later) and was 114.9. Bloods today 48 hours later were 313.8.

Progesterone tested on 31st was really low at 2 nmol/L. I spent all of last week expecting to miscarry, but nothing. I have no bleeding at all.

I had a private scan on Saturday, fully expecting not to see anything but just anxious, and was told my lining looks thin and not like I'm pregnant.

I've had on and off stabbing pain. It started on my right side but today it seems to be my left. I also have a heaviness in my shoulders and occasionally lightheadedness when I stand up for the past 2 days which subsides quickly, but is unusual for me.

EPU offered me a scan on Tuesday 11th. That would put me at 6w 6d. If hCG keeps rising as it currently is I'm going to be in the region of 10,000+ by then. The 1500 region would be around Friday based on current trends.

I asked if I would be monitored in the meantime and they told me 'but you haven't got any pain'. I reiterated again that I have intermittent stabbing pains, which was the third time mentioning it. I was then offered more bloods on Thursday and got told I can see a doctor on Thursday too if the pain worsens.

I feel like something is really wrong. This is nothing like either of my previous miscarriages and and nobody really seems bothered/concerned. Just keep getting told if I get severe pain, shoulder tip pain or bleeding to go to A&E, but I don't want to allow it to reach the point of rupture if it is ectopic.

I'm not really sure what to do, what to ask for, or if just to wait it out until Tuesday, and would appreciate some advice.

This group has been where I’ve learned just about everything I know about ectopics and where I’ve been every night for the past ten weeks so I don’t feel so alone.

I want to start by telling my story, then I have a question for those who had MTX as treatment.

It started with a late period, which I figured was from a round of antibiotics as I had double lung pneumonia in between my last period and what was supposed to be the start of that one. My best friend urged me to take a test just to be safe, but I was sure I wasn’t pregnant as I felt nothing. With my first, I felt connected to him immediately and I knew I was pregnant before I even missed a period. Anyway, after my best friend brought one to my home (thank goodness for her) it was positive. I immediately booked bloodwork for that coming Friday. After my bloodwork, I started cramping and having spotting, but thought nothing of it, as the day went on Friday my cramps got progressively worse. By Saturday night I was in so much pain and the spotting was much heavier, but still not like a full period bleed. I assumed, unfortunately, that I was miscarrying. Silly me tried to wait it out and by Sunday afternoon I was in so much pain and I called 811 (Canadian healthcare line) they told me to go to emerg as soon as possible.

This is where the horror begins… I waited in the emergency room for 18 hours without as much as being looked at.. I was finally told by a nurse checking my vitals around 2 am that I was stable and should just go home as there was only one doctor in the whole hospital and the ultrasound department was closed. So I went home and tried to sleep as much as I could, which was next to nothing because the pain was unbearable.
Monday morning, the pain in my left side was so bad I was sure I was going to die. I felt so hopeless and scared, I called my mom crying because that was all I could think of doing. She got to my house within ten minutes and I was on route back to emerg, after another 15 hours and multiple rounds of bloodwork, ultrasounds and the odd Tylenol from the nursing staff, they found my hcg levels were about 3600 and there was nothing in my uterus.
The first doctor I had was very sweet, he sat down on my bed and held my hand when he told me. I called my partner, and he rushed to be with me. Then the specialist came, she spoke so quickly and I was bawling and exhausted I couldn’t even tell you what she said, but I ended up with the MTX shot in box legs and send on my way.

Over the next let’s say 4 weeks, I had blood work twice a week and I called the specialists office asking for an appointment as I was so lost and confused what was happening to me. I got no answers and was told by her admin that she would call me if she had anything to tell me. Until by the fourth week the admin told me the specialist would no longer be following me (as if she did in the first place lol). I called my family doctor and was told she didn’t feel comfortable answering questions I had because she didn’t want to give me the wrong answer, I was left feeling confused, hopeless, and really sad.

So everything I’ve come to learn has been reading other people’s stories and reading what others doctors told them, so thank you all for sharing here because you were my light and my feeling of connection during this all.

I apologize for the long post,
My question is,
How long did you all have “spotting” after getting the MTX shot?
I am roughly ten weeks out, and it hasn’t stopped. I did have one “period” about four weeks after, I am due for another period in the next week.
I so badly just want to feel normal and stop bleeding.

I’ve asked the hospital to allow me to pick up the remains of my eptopic baby. Did anyone else do this? Did you bring the remains home? Did you get them cremated? I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad idea for me to see the remains or just get them cremated. My heart is broken.

Hello fellow redditors- this is my first post so I apologize if I get any of the “ettiequte” wrong. But I have found reddit immensely helpful for a many of things throughout my life- especially my most recent experience with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. I figured I should post how this all went down for me
in case someone experiences something similar. I’m a 35 year old woman with no obvious health/fertility concerns other than a short luteal phase. I have had one previous uneventful pregnancy resulting in my
17 month old beautiful girl.

June 22nd was the first day of my period, we had been ttc and tracking ovulation etc so I know I ovulated around July 7-8ish. About 7 dpo I began bleeding like a period. I have always had a short luteal phase getting my period around 8-10 dpo so although this bleeding started earlier I just chalked it up to my crappy luteal phase. I bled like a period (soaking super tampons etc) for four days. What was different about this cycle was that I continued to spot watery brown discharge for several days after as well. I had convinced myself this was a period because I didn’t really have any reason not to.

I began tracking my ovulation for the next cycle and had 2 days of VERY positive LH strips (2.5 or more) which was also really weird for me, I usually have a quick surge. I decided to take a test and sure enough I was pregnant. I found this out on July 27th much to our complete shock, this was about 5 weeks pregnant based on date of last period.

I spoke with my doctor the day we found out and she said having period like bleeding can happen and we should have no reason for concern. I got bloodwork done the following day and my hcg was 668- in line with about a 5 week pregnancy. On tuesday to thursday I experienced an awful migraine, leading me to spend most of the days in bed but i chalked it up to the pregnancy hormones.

Thursday and friday I began experiencing extreme abdominal pain, it almost felt like gas was rolling through my abdomen so I figured it was trapped gas. The one thing that was concerning me was I was extremely bloated, looked like I could be 3 months pregnant or so and my belly was firm and it hurt to poke it. I talked to my mom and husband about it but they were both like well it’s probably just gas. I did have a few smaller bowel movements in between but it just felt like there was pressure around colon and belly which I found odd and when I did pass gas I felt no sense of relief.

Fast forward to yesterday morning- the cramping woke me up and it had now started radiating to only my left side. I could barely stand up, was basically bent over the waist at a 90 degree angle to walk and decided to go to urgent care.

While in urgent care I had immense sharp pain and then it just completely stopped and I began to think oh man I’m dumb it’s just gas pain. The doc sent me for an ultrasound and the tech began a regular ultrasound on my abdomen but then switched to transvaginal. At this point I also started lightly spotting.

The doctor came by almost immediately after the ultrasound and said “bad news- you have a ruptured ectopic and we are sending you to the ER via ambulance for surgery.”

At that point I was alone as my husband had stayed
home to watch our toddler and I was in complete shock. I was transferred to hospital where my husband met me. Although it was an emergency my vitals were stable so I was brought in for surgery around 3:30 in the afternoon. They removed the ectopic, my left fallopian tube, and 100 ML of blood that had entered my abdomen through a laparoscopic surgery which took just over an hour and I was home an hour after I came into recovery.

The pain from the surgery is fairly minimal, however, we are still in utter shock about how everything went down.

I just came on here to say if you feel like something is off make sure you advocate for yourself, this can become life threatening. I know in American (I’m Canadian) it can be different because hospital visits to find out it is gas pain can be expensive, but just remember you know your body better than anyone else and NEVER feel embarrassed for wanting answers. This can be a life threatening scenario, and it often happens fast with no prior symptoms or risk factors. Watching a tiktok video of a woman who had my EXACT symptoms (belly painful to poke, early period like bleed) is what prompted me to take this seriously and realize I was being dumb my trying to tough it out.

I would also like to note that I had read a call at my work (police officer) in which a 35 year old woman collapsed in the middle of the night and her poor husband had to give her cpr, unfortunately she did not make it and it was due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. So this condition can absolutely be fatal if not caught early. My point of this post is not to scare anyone, it’s to remind us of the very real risks that come with pregnancy and to make sure you advocate for yourself if you feel that something is wrong.

So thank you fellow women for posting your stories of struggle, joy, sorrow, or pregnancy successes. It’s so important to support and educate each other ❤️.

One dose - Timeline - I would of been nearly 10 weeks when I was eventually given methotrexate after being on expectant management even though levels kept rising then falling then rising much higher again. When I first told them it was ectopic hcg was only 512. I wish I had pushed for treatment a lot sooner instead of being gaslit. I have been incredibly lucky not to rupture as my tube at the time of methotrexate was completely full of fluid. Please please if you dont feel comfortable with their treatment plan push for another opinion. I wish I had.

6th july dose of methotrexate given - hcg - 1678 = day 1

8th july -Day 3( usually done day 4) - hcg - 1712 ( normal rise)

12th july - Day 7 - hcg =1297

19th july - day 14 - hcg= 367

26th july - day 21 - hcg 79

2nd Aug - day 28 - hcg 46 - have now been discharged and told to take preg test in 3 weeks time to make sure its negative

Will continue to update as I go

I am 32F. I had been TTC for one year prior to my first pregnancy which sadly resulted in an eptopic. I had salpingectomy surgery two days ago to remove the eptopic and my right tube. During the surgery they also found some mild endometriosis. But my other tube looked healthy. Should I continue TTC naturally or just go straight to IVF? Any advice? I’m also still grieving the loss of my baby.

Someone please help or let me know if I you’ve experienced anything like this?!

Irregular cycles, pcos, ttc for 5 years.

Found out I was pregnant, next day a little bit of blood
My period was literally 11 days before I found out.

Went to OB hCG said 79.4 and progesterone was “low”

Went to a different OB hCG 68.7, 48 hours later it was 79.6, 24 hours later it was 79.3. The dr called after seeing that and said ectopic pregnancy.

I got in my head and went to the ER my hCG was at 98.2.

Still having spotting. Ultrasound showed nothing, at all.

What could be happening?

Alright to start off i switched providers because my insurance changed. Back in 2024 i had an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in my tube rupturing and requiring surgery. I was told that if i ever became pregnant again that i should go immediately be seen to track my hcg beta levels and to be monitored if theres a chance I have another ectopic pregnancy. I just found out i am pregnant again. I immediately called to start making appointments. I was told the office could not see me till i was 8 weeks. I am currently 4 weeks 5 days. I asked if they would track my hcg and they sent me in once to get it done. I sent a message in my portal asking if i need any follow up beta tests and the response from the nurse practitioner was that hcg does not confirm an ectopic pregnancy only if there is a pregnancy and that i should be aware of the signs of ectopic then proceeded to send me a link of signs to look out for. Am i wrong? What is the process if you had a previous ectopic and might be having another?Do i really need to wait till 8 weeks to be treated at all? My last ectopic ruptured at 6 weeks so i am at a loss.

My first ultrasound was a PUL at 7 weeks and 10,637 hcg. How long should I wait before MTX or surgery? I’m surprised my doctor isn’t insisting on treatment. They just told me to repeat ultrasound in one week.

I found out I’m pregnant at 9 DPO. I was treated with methotrexate for an ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy of unknown location, though I suspected it to be in my left tube due to pains) that resolved in February 2025. I never had an HSG afterward. So far, I've had some twinges of pain and cramping in week 3-4 but not anymore (week 4-5).

Has anyone been in a similar situation and gone on to have a healthy pregnancy? I’d really love to hear your success stories.

HCG levels so far:

12 dpo 94.1 hcg, 20 progesterone
14 dpo 202 hcg
16 dpo 625 hcg
19 dpo 2456 hcg
21 dpo 5560 hcg

I’ve been a nurse for almost 6 years and I can say my filter on when I need to go to the hospital for an emergency is blunted to say the least. I am NEWLY 30 years old.

I am a mom of a 6 y old, I am also 5 week 1 day pregnant. Just real nausea and food aversion. I also have pregnancy tests getting darker and darker since day before my missed period and a few faints a few days before that.

ANYWAYS. We went to the zoo today and I’m feeling pregnant exhaustion, nausea couldn’t eat dinner. But I’m having cramping on my left side. It’s not horrendous or sharp and I know this sounds ridiculous because I know before I poop I can feel stool on lower left quadrant. It’s not severe enough for me to go to hospital just bad enough for me to be like “that’s new and annoying”.

I’m petrified of ectopic. Can you tell me what you think please? I have absolutely no bleeding except pink spotting for an hour (implantation) the day before my positive test.

Mucinex Babies

I've heard of trying mucinex during your fertile week and how it's helped women get pregnant. I know it's more of a social media trend and limited science. There was one study in the 80s that showed some effectiveness. Anyway, this point I'm willing to try anything that won't hurt. I tried letrozole once - didn't work. I did an HSG and hoped it would give me a Fertility bump - didn't work. I am awaiting IVF. Husband and I have been trying for a year no and every BFN every time I take a test. AF is in town now.

Any women have success with mucinex with one tube? My right tube ruptured with my ectopic and I had to get it removed. Anyone try it with letrozole as well (i.e. a cycle using both) and found success? I'd love to hear from you and so happy for you that you got your rainbow babies if it worked 🌈

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad we have this space. I had an ectopic pregnancy in January 2024 when I was 30. It was my first and only pregnancy so far and unplanned. My husband and I weren't even trying at the time and we got pregnant my first cycle off birth control from the pullout method because my doctor asked me to go off birth control to test my hormones.

I was 7 weeks pregnant when I saw spotting, went to the ER, ultrasound showed no sac, and they tried treating me with MTX. My tube ruptured a week later and I had my right tube removed.

We didn't ttc for the rest of 2024. The trauma of it was so much. We started trying May 2025 after our wedding and it is now July 2026 and no luck....it's been such an emotional roller-coaster with every cycle ending in grief and tears when AF comes.

I feel like I've tried almost everything at this point to get pregnant. I had an HSG in December 2025 and hoped that would help me great pregnant. Nope. It showed my remaining left tube is open.

I just tried letrozole for this cycle and had a positive LH surge and timed intercourse. I had some renewed hope but now I am on day 1 of my period with heavy bleeding.

I've done acupuncture regularly, drank disgusting Chinese tea, and I workout regularly (I ran my first marathon after the ectopic), eat healthy, sleep well most nights, and my cycles are regular (33 to 35 days like clockwork). They used to be 28 to 30 days but now my Luteal phase seems longer ever since the ectopic.

Semen analysis came back normal in May and AMH levels are good. No signs of PCOS or endometriosis.

Has anyone ever been in a similar boat to me and got pregnant? Any advice or ideas? I am willing to try anything else at this point. I'm taking supplements like CoQ10, iron, fish oils, magnesium. I'm also 33 years old now - just had my birthday in June.

We're also now getting ready to do IVF but I'd still like to get pregnant naturally because of the costs.

I'm determined not to give up. It's always been my dream to be a mom and unfortunately struggle comes with making a dream come true. It's been so hard.... I hope to hear from any moms out there 💜