"Eventually I collapsed. I had been bleeding heavily for two hours"

JILLIAN and Joanna have lost their babies and very nearly lost their lives - but they have not lost their spirit.

In some respects, their spirit has been strengthened.

"We have both suffered terrible loss and tragedy, but we want to make something positive out of it," said Joanna Keogh, 37, from York. "If we can help just one other woman, it will be an achievement."

They are setting up York's first ectopic pregnancy support group, with the backing of the national Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, offering advice and emotional support to women devastated by this life-threatening condition.

Many people still believe ectopic pregnancies are rare. They are, in fact, all too common.

One in 80 pregnancies is ectopic, when the fertilized egg implants outside the cavity of the womb. Most develop in the fallopian tube, but on rare occasions they can implant in the ovaries, cervix or abdomen.

Around 30 women are admitted to York Hospital every year suffering from an ectopic pregnancy. They are given support and reassurance during their stay but, once they return home, they are on their own.

Or, at least, they were on their own. Now they have Joanna and her friend Jillian Addison, 30, from North Duffield, who can be contacted via the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust on 01845 238025.

Joanna's story...

"I suffered an ectopic in December 2002 when I was about six weeks pregnant.

I was suffering severe abdominal pain, but I wasn't bleeding and all my vitals were normal. Doctors monitored me, but they couldn't work out what was wrong.

My condition suddenly began to deteriorate rapidly. The doctors decided to do a laparoscopy to find out if it was an ectopic, appendicitis or an ovarian cyst and then operate accordingly.

Having an operation is frightening, but when you're pregnant and in a lot of pain it is extremely distressing.

It was an ectopic. I lost my baby and my right fallopian tube. I was relieved that the pain had gone and my life was no longer in danger. The loss hit me later.

As the days went by, the questions I needed answers to began to build up. I needed to talk to someone, but there wasn't anyone. I was very surprised there wasn't a local support group. That really confused and concerned me.

The worst thing was that I still felt pregnant. I understood that wasn't unusual because the hormones take a long time to leave your system.

But then, five weeks later, I started to bleed heavily. I managed to get my daughter, Ailish, home from nursery. Then I locked myself in the bathroom to try and deal with the haemorrhaging.

My two-year-old was crying on one side of the door and I was crying on the other. I just couldn't stop the bleeding.

My GP told me to make my own way to the surgery, which surprised me, and when I got there the doctors were all at lunch so I had to wait.

Eventually I just collapsed. I had been bleeding heavily for two hours.

It turned out I had actually suffered a hetratopic pregnancy, which is very rare. I had been pregnant with twins; one baby in the womb, one outside. I was losing my second baby.

If I had known this was a possibility I would have been able to prepare myself, but I didn't have a clue. Losing the second baby was a massive shock. I was devastated."

Jillian's story...

"I had been trying for a baby for two years when I discovered I was pregnant in January this year.

I started spotting, so I was referred for a scan. The doctors said they couldn't see anything in my womb, but that maybe it was too early in the pregnancy to pick anything up. I was clinging on to any hope I could at this point. The scan showed some fluid outside my womb, but I wasn't in any pain, so I went home.

I woke up a couple of days later in incredible pain. I made it to the kitchen then I just fell to my knees. I tried to keep it together for my son (seven-year-old Kieran), but I honestly thought I was going to die there and then.

I was rushed to hospital by ambulance and operated on that night. They found I had been bleeding internally for days - that was the fluid that showed up on the scan - because my right fallopian tube had burst.

I lost my baby and my fallopian tube. The doctors said I was lucky to be alive, but my husband and I were devastated because we had lost our baby and we might have lost our chance of having another.

The Catholic chaplain visited me in hospital. I just burst into tears. I told her I really needed to speak to another woman who would be able to relate to what I was feeling. I felt so lonely and isolated.

She said she knew someone who had suffered an ectopic and would pass on my details. That's how I met Joanna.

It was amazing to speak to someone who had experienced what I had experienced. It was also wonderful because she had gone on to have another baby (Evie, now eight months old).

Our friendship gave me new hope. We decided someone should set up a support group to offer other women some hope, and why shouldn't that someone be us?"

Joanna and Jillian's support group will meet at a venue in Bootham on the first Tuesday of every month, starting from Tuesday September 6. To find out more contact the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust on 01845 238025.

Updated: 08:54 Tuesday, July 19, 2005