Direct relationship between IUCD removal and ectopic pregnancy.Myth or fact?

Firstly for those of you who are not familiar with what IUCD's are please click here

*********Let it be known IUCD's are not recommended for women who have not yet had children, or are likely to want children in the future.*******


Online there seems to be two schools of thought on this subject. Predominantly the concern is for women who currently have an IUCD and are worried about the increased risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. Some professionals argue that if you have an IUCD then you have a 5% chance of it becoming ectopic, as opposed to 1-2% if you do not. Other professionals are adamant that women are not at a higher risk of having an ectopic pregnancy with an IUCD because the chances of falling pregnant are so low.

What I am concerned about is the overwhelming amount of women who have had there IUCD removed for the purpose of trying to conceive and are falling pregnant within a few months and having an ectopic pregnancy. This is what happened to me and I have been researching whether or not there is a correlation. It turns out there are a lot of conflicting results and once again Im left to my own devices.

 There are articles online that say this is not the case, including a study done in New Zealand in 1982 to determine fertility rates and complications after having a copper IUCD removed.You can read it here. In the article it states, in the 4 year study "The ectopic pregnancy rate was 0.7% among women who had their IUDs removed because of complications compared with 0.5% among those who underwent removal to achieve pregnancy." They also state that "overall, this prospective study suggests that a favorable return to fertility and a good pregnancy outcome can be expected after IUD use is discontinued."

Mind you they did say "good" pregnancy outcome...not brilliant!

I have come across a lot of women in forums across the globe, who have had their IUCD's taken out to conceive and have fallen pregnant very quickly only to miscarry or worse have an ectopic pregnancy.There is a midwife called Paula Greer who when asked what causes ectopic pregnancy she answers:
When the blastocyst implants anywhere outside the uterine cavity the result is an ectopic pregnancy. The incidence is about 1 percent of all pregnancies and is increased in women over age 35 and in women of color. Over the last decade the incidence is on the rise which may be attributed to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases and the use of antibiotics. Factors which increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy: blockage in the tubes from scarring from previous pelvic infections, abnormalities of the reproductive tract, and IUD users.

 The risk in IUD users seems to be the greatest in the several months after IUD removal so it is wise to practice other methods of birth control several months after an IUD is removed before attempting pregnancy.


Another article I found was a woman trying for medical malpractice legal advice her story is simple:

Hi,
I had the Mirena IUD inserted about 2 1/2 years ago.
My husband I and were very cautious about getting any form of birth control because of the side effects. After doing intensive research we decided to get the Mirena IUD. We already had two children that were 15 months apart so, we wanted to wait a couple of years before our 3rd child.

To our surprise, after the removal of the IUD we became pregnant 3 months later. 2 days after we took the pregnancy test I noticed I was bleeding. I called my OBGYN and they immediately started taking test, come to fine out I was have an Ectopic Pregnancy.

We were devistated because we trusted the research that was done on the Mirena IUD. Nowhere did it ever state that after the removal of the IUD that it can cause an Ectopic Pregnancy. We have two other children that were anticipating another sibling. 

The lawyers response was disgusting to say the least:

Ectopic pregnancies occur for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is a disruption of the normal process such as an IUD or scar tissue as a result of an IUD. The second could be infection or scar tissue from an infection.Endometriosis and fibroid tumors can cause an ectopic pregnancy as well.

An ectopic pregnancy from the use of an IUD is a known risk although it is relatively low. Your risk of a subsequent ectopic pregnancy doubles once you have the first.

Very truly yours,

Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D.

Why thanks Paul, have you completely missed the question?She is not talking about whilst it was inserted, she is talking about AFTER it has been taken out! Yes the risks are well known when its IN but its not well documented about the effects when its taken OUT!

There was a follow up comment which I found particularly interesting which you can read here..

There is another site which has some ladies with interesting experiences with miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies after having an IUCD removed.You can read them here.

Jury is still out on this one if you ask me. Please let me know If you have come here because you have experienced an ectopic pregnancy after having an IUCD removed or you know of someone that has please let me know!

Thank you

Janey.

Its time for Ectopic Pregnancy Awareness awareness!

No the title is not a typo! I believe that more women need to be aware of ectopic pregnancy awareness. Why are survivors of ectopic pregnancy pushed into the same corner as any early pregnancy loss group? Its disturbing to me.

" I didn't have a miscarriage, I had an ectopic pregnancy.I nearly died."

Its hard being in a little niche of our own, it means that if you like me are suffering from a lot of things post ectopic pregnancy that people including general practitioners cant make sense of then you are left in the dark.
I think the main difference for me boils down to the extent of the physical trauma. Not only do ectopic pregnancy sufferers have to deal with the loss of their baby, they quite often have to deal with the loss of a tube, sometimes a part or all of their uterus,an ovary,their blood and ultimately their life. The damage can severely effect their future fertility (this decreases at least 30% ...minimum)  and that's if they intend to ever risk putting their bodies through this again because they will now have a 10% chance of having it happen again. Which is a massive hurdle to overcome, understandably.

I have lost our baby.

I have lost my right tube.

I have lost all of my blood.

I have lost my hair

I have lost my beautiful skin.

I have lost my right to wear bikinis

I have lost touch with friends who don't understand

I have lost the ability to make a quick decision

I have lost a fair chunk of my fertility.

I have lost trust in our health facilities.

I have lost all desire for sexual intercourse.

I have lost most of my confidence in myself.

I'm trying to think what I have gained from this, other than weight and a ginormous scar. I have gained awareness, of the lack of awareness for ectopic pregnancy.

I was playing around with some stuff and whipped this little beauty up earlier. I was thinking that if ectopic pregnancy were to get an awareness ribbon it should look something like this. Upside down for a start,out of place, with the foetus up there in no mans land (literally) with the baby loss colours, to signify the loss and a little purple section to signify purpose,my intention to create awareness.

Let me know what you think? Should ectopic pregnancy survivors be grouped in with early baby loss groups? Am I just being silly thinking like this?

If there was somewhere in Australia that we could turn to for specific ectopic pregnancy support would we utilise it? If you are from another country did you use any support method offered to you? did it help? 

Think pink

Janey