Charlotte Crosby talks about her ectopic pregnancy
Charlotte Crosby, from Geordie Shore, has spoken about her recent ectopic pregnancy to Heat magazine.
The reality TV star, who had been filming Geordie Shore: Big Birthday Battle at the time, said she wasn't even aware she was pregnant at first, and thought the pain was down to a heavy period.
"I thought I had a really bad period because I was bleeding and cramping - I can't describe the pain, it was awful,' Charlotte explained, adding that it felt like she was "being stabbed in the side."
It was when she arrived at the St John and Elizabeth Hospital in London, after being rushed to their A&E department, that she found out that she was pregnant. Doctors told her she was lucky to be alive.
"I didn't know what the hell was going on and I was in so much pain," she explained. "Then the X-ray showed how much damage had been caused. Because I'd left it a week, it'd torn open my fallopian tube and I was bleeding internally. He said: 'If you'd have left it any longer, you could have died.''' Charlotte had to be rushed for an emergency operation after testing positive for pregnancy.
Tommy’s midwife Jules Robertson explains:
“An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilised egg attaches itself somewhere outside of the womb – most commonly in one of the Fallopian tubes. An ectopic pregnancy results in a miscarriage because this sort of pregnancy cannot survive or be moved.
Ectopic pregnancy creates a potentially life-threatening situation for a mother as the pregnancy continues to develop and can damage or even rupture the tube or other tissue causing pain and internal bleeding, so it is very important that it is treated quickly."
Usual symptoms of ectopic pregnancy can include:
- Severe pain on one side of your tummy
- Bleeding or loss of dark watery discharge
- Shoulder-tip pain
- Nausea, dizziness and diarrhoea – or pain going to the toilet
If you experience any of these symptoms you need to contact your GP or go to A&E immediately
"Pregnancy hormone levels can takes several weeks to drop meaning you may still experience pregnancy symptoms – and it is normal to feel low after - as you are grieving not only for a lost pregnancy but possibly dealing with how this may affect your future fertility if a tube has been damaged as well as recovering from a life-threatening medical emergency – it is important to give yourself time to recover both physically and emotionally."
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