Woman who nearly died during ectopic pregnancy steps out to raise awareness of condition

In April 2019, Lauren Mirfin, now aged 30, started suffering from severe pain and was sent straight to hospital.

She soon found out that she was eight weeks’ pregnant.

However, a subsequent scan diagnosed her ectopic pregnancy in her left fallopian tube.

The tube had ruptured, causing significant internal bleeding, bringing Lauren close to losing her life.

She said: “I was very poorly, drifting in and out of consciousness, being told not to close my eyes and that I needed surgery immediately or I was going to die.

“The last thing I remember is begging them to not let me die, and then I woke up in intensive care, without my fallopian tube and being told my baby had been surgically removed.

“I was absolutely devastated.”

Although she had not known she was pregnant, she had always wanted to be a mum, so the news was devastating, leaving her to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and wondering whether she would ever fulfil her dream.

She said: “Recovery was hard, emotional and mentally. But the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust supported me through things.”

Lauren now has a young daughter, Lola, with partner Craig, 37.

She is now taking on an 80-mile challenge, to be completed in August, to raise awareness of the trust’s work.

Lauren said: “I’d never heard of an ectopic pregnancy until I experienced one, nor did I know about, or how to recognise any of the symptoms.”

She decided to try to help the trust as it provided her with online resources, support, and a link to other people who had gone through something similar.

As about one in 80 pregnancies are ectopic – where the embryo grows outside the womb – the EPT80in1 challenge sees people tackling 80 miles in one month, either through running, walking, or cycling.

Munira Oza, trust director, said: “Each year in the UK, nearly 12,000 women are diagnosed with ectopic pregnancies and, from anecdotal evidence, the number of cases may be more than 30,000.

“Sadly, the baby can never be saved and the condition remains a leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester.”

For more information about the trust, visit ectopic.org.uk