Almost 5 years ago, on 4 September 2018, a day that should have been so joyous turned into one of the worst days of my life. We were hoping to see the heartbeat of our baby for the first time, after a long, arduous journey to pregnancy involving infertility, IVF cycles and implantation failures. Instead, we were met with scared faces and immediate transfer to the operating theatre for life-saving surgery. Our pregnancy was ectopic, growing inside my left fallopian tube and not only would we go on to lose the baby but also my tube. Luckily I walked out of the hospital with my life, but the scars remain. Ray and I are so passionate about raising awareness of ectopic pregnancies because until it happened to us, we didn’t know the signs, the symptoms or the emotional effects of an ectopic pregnancy. We continue to try to heal ourselves from this event and let others know how to seek support if it happens to them. 

After the ectopic pregnancy we embarked on more IVF cycles to try to conceive our second child after our first was also conceived via IVF. Finally in 2020 we welcomed our second child and then amazingly, we had our third child in 2022 without the help of any IVF cycle at all. This journey through infertility, loss and miracle pregnancies has led me to set up Seed to Soul to help others struggling on their journey through infertility and loss (https://seedtosoulfertility.com).

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust strives to provide information, education and support to those affected by early pregnancy complications and to the health professionals who care for them. Ectopic pregnancy is a common, life-threatening condition that is the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester of early pregnancy, The condition affects around 1 in 80 pregnancies in the UK and occurs when an embryo grows outside the womb. The EPT believes that the deaths and trauma associated with ectopic pregnancy should be prevented. We seek to relieve the distress associated with the experience and provide ongoing support through their treatment and beyond.Please support our enthusiastic 80in1 challengers who will be working hard through the month to cover their distance and will be raising crucial funds and awareness for ectopic pregnancies.