Curly Wurly many people have pain in early pregnancy and in almost all cases they go on to have normal healthy pregnancies, however i feel i have to comment on your post as not only you, but other people with pelvic pain in early pregnancy might be reading it.
Two points;
Often people with an ectopic will not experience pain until around 7 weeks (from the last period) but this isnt always true and i am of the opinion that if the pain is significant and doesnt settle with a couple of paracetamol then it would be totally reasonable for that person to see their GP. When you say you are 2-3 weeks i take it that you are 4-5 weeks since your last period so that would be your gestation. Also if people are feeling unwell or faint or have any bleeding with the pain they should also see a doctor.
I think the GP would be the best place to go as you are at risk of waiting a long time if you go to a and e and will see a dr that is more used to seeing trauma etc than pregnancy related problems. Also for people in early pregnancy they sometimes would do a blood test rather than a scan and this can usually be done after referral to the early pregnancy clinic in the next 1-2 days, not necessarily there and then in a and e. A doctor could decide this.
Point 2. You have a right to see your GP TODAY if you feel you need to. It might be that you weren't firm enough with the receptionist but if you were and they still refused you an appt then that is scandalous, especially asking you to wait over the weekend when you were worried about an ectopic. Actually i think that is bordering on negligence. If someone had severe pain and was told to wait 3 days and something happened to them as a result, the actions of those members of staff could not be defended. Whether your pain is settling or not, i would still speak to the practice manager about that if not for yourself, then to try to prevent that happening to anyone else.
Now, I have said all of the above as i think people can sometimes be falsely reassured by advice they receive from the internet, NOT because i think you personally have an ectopic. If your pain has settled or is just niggly period pain then i think the probability is you will be fine, but if your pain is severe or worsening, or you have other symptoms, then i think it would do no harm whatsoever to have it checked. No one should ever worry about seeing a doctor if they have a genuine concern. x
hi, i agree with mrs mermaid that if this pain doesnt settle or worsen you shouldn't hesitate in seeing a doctor. I disagree that the doctors in a and e are not as good at assessing for problems as gps though, they are very used to dealing with early pregnancy pain and/or bleeding and will scan you if necessary. A GP is ideally the first port of call, who can refer you to an early pregnancy assessment unit, but obviously over the weekend the out of hours facilities are very limited and the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy will be treated seriously by a and e. As a midwife, i would advise you to leave things over the weekend and see your GP on monday, but if you have pain again get straight to hospital. Hugs and hope it stays away x
alfie123, many junior doctors work in a and e and some have no experience of gynae/obs at all. So thats why i would say it would be better to go to a GP if there is some niggly pain and the OP isn't sure what to do. Large a and e departments tend to have a lot of senior support but this isnt always true of the smaller units so on the whole i would say a GP would be a better option generally. Maybe there is a very good unit where you work but unfortunately i have seen people sent home from a and e with non-emergency pregnancy related issues and asked to make an appt with their own GP which can be quite inconvenient for the patient. It depends where you live as to how often this might happen i suppose. Obviously if the person was seriously unwell then a and e would be the safest place in terms of getting fluids/monitoring etc.
To be honest though, i couldn't speak for all hospitals but it's usually gynae,midwives or gynae nurses that make the decision whether to scan or not so whether the OP went to a and e or a GP, was examined properly and it was felt they needed specialist assessment they should end up in the same place.
Anyway its good that midwives etc do join sites such as baby expert etc. I don't post a lot but sometimes i cringe at advice that is given by non medical people (Not neccessarily referring to this thread in particular). I think its really good that plently of people give differnt advice on general subjects but i have seen threads in the past where people have asked about potentially quite serious medical complaints and have been given totally wrong/dangerous advice. My motto is that if there is any doubt its better to speak to your midwife/doctor.
I hope the pain settles though as even implantation pain can be very uncomfortatble. x
[Modified by: mrsmermaid on July 17, 2010 09:14 AM]
Replies
Two points;
Often people with an ectopic will not experience pain until around 7 weeks (from the last period) but this isnt always true and i am of the opinion that if the pain is significant and doesnt settle with a couple of paracetamol then it would be totally reasonable for that person to see their GP. When you say you are 2-3 weeks i take it that you are 4-5 weeks since your last period so that would be your gestation. Also if people are feeling unwell or faint or have any bleeding with the pain they should also see a doctor.
I think the GP would be the best place to go as you are at risk of waiting a long time if you go to a and e and will see a dr that is more used to seeing trauma etc than pregnancy related problems. Also for people in early pregnancy they sometimes would do a blood test rather than a scan and this can usually be done after referral to the early pregnancy clinic in the next 1-2 days, not necessarily there and then in a and e. A doctor could decide this.
Point 2. You have a right to see your GP TODAY if you feel you need to. It might be that you weren't firm enough with the receptionist but if you were and they still refused you an appt then that is scandalous, especially asking you to wait over the weekend when you were worried about an ectopic.
Actually i think that is bordering on negligence. If someone had severe pain and was told to wait 3 days and something happened to them as a result, the actions of those members of staff could not be defended. Whether your pain is settling or not, i would still speak to the practice manager about that if not for yourself, then to try to prevent that happening to anyone else.
Now, I have said all of the above as i think people can sometimes be falsely reassured by advice they receive from the internet, NOT because i think you personally have an ectopic. If your pain has settled or is just niggly period pain then i think the probability is you will be fine, but if your pain is severe or worsening, or you have other symptoms, then i think it would do no harm whatsoever to have it checked. No one should ever worry about seeing a doctor if they have a genuine concern. x
To be honest though, i couldn't speak for all hospitals but it's usually gynae,midwives or gynae nurses that make the decision whether to scan or not so whether the OP went to a and e or a GP, was examined properly and it was felt they needed specialist assessment they should end up in the same place.
Anyway its good that midwives etc do join sites such as baby expert etc. I don't post a lot but sometimes i cringe at advice that is given by non medical people (Not neccessarily referring to this thread in particular). I think its really good that plently of people give differnt advice on general subjects but i have seen threads in the past where people have asked about potentially quite serious medical complaints and have been given totally wrong/dangerous advice. My motto is that if there is any doubt its better to speak to your midwife/doctor.
I hope the pain settles though as even implantation pain can be very uncomfortatble. x
[Modified by: mrsmermaid on July 17, 2010 09:14 AM]