Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

Ectopic pregnancy is a serious, life threatening condition that affects 1 in 80 pregnancies, is still the leading cause of death in the first trimester of pregnancy and is proven to have the same emotional impact as the loss of an immediate family member. 

An embryo plants outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube, and, if untreated, will continue to develop until it ruptures and causes massive internal bleeding. Women and their families suffering this have to come to terms with the loss of a baby, loss of part/all of their fertility, often major invasive surgery and the experience of a threat to their life. The physical and emotional impact is horrific!

In 2004, Alex nearly lost her life to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy having been turned away from A&E three times. When she was finally diagnosed, she was taken for emergency surgery and woke covered in tubes with a blood transfusion in one arm, a drip in the other, a catheter coming out of one side, a drain to remove the lose blood from internal bleeding in the other and a terrified family at the end of her bed. She had to come to terms with the loss of her baby and fallopian tube plus the increased risk of a second ectopic. Before this she had also suffered from complicated missed miscarriage. This story is similar to that of so many women's. 

We volunteer with and are doing the marathon for the EPT to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity as:

- Earlier diagnosis means reduced threat to life, less invasive treatment, treatment choices, a chance of saving the fallopian tube and reduced emotional impact.

- Not everyone has a strong support network to take them through such an emotional time. The EPT provides telephone, email and online forum support so that women and their families have someone to talk to on an ongoing basis whenever they need it.

- We want to make sure women, their families and medical professionals have access to relevant information on the internet and in the form of leaflets when they leave hospital because a better understanding of what is happening helps them to feel more in control and reduces the emotional impact plus lets them know where they can get ongoing support. 

- We want to ensure all medical professionals are aware of the emotional impact of losing a baby and fertility and that ectopic pregnancy treatment is not only about life saving surgery. 

Alex was lucky enough to have strong family support but what about those who don't; what happens to them? Alex is bossy and bolshy but couldn't make herself heard when something was seriously wrong; what happens to those less confident? Please help us to make a difference for families who have to go through this.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.