Four ladies who experienced potentially fatal ectopic pregnancies detail their grueling experiences: "It almost killed me."

Ectopic pregnancies, which happen when an embryo implants outside the uterus, have come to light in the wake of last week's Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe v. Wade. Some individuals worry that doctors there might not be able to manage such deadly pregnancies as a result of the 13 U.S. states' bans on abortion.

Ectopic pregnancies normally develop from an egg adhering to the uterus while still in the fallopian tubes, and they commonly happen in the first five to eight weeks of pregnancy. They can also develop in the abdominal cavity, ovaries, and cervix. Although the exact number is unknown, scientists estimate that they account for 5 to 20 of every 1,000 pregnancies in the U.S.

They are never viable pregnancies, according to OB/GYN Dr. Molly McBride of New York. However, they are potentially harmful; if one of the fallopian tubes ruptures, "it's a medical emergency" due to the blood loss.

A dose of methotrexate is typically given to a woman who is pregnant ectopically because it "works to dissolve an ectopic," as McBride put it.

While all 13 of the states that currently forbid abortions make an exception for situations where the mother's life is in danger, some abortion advocates assert that in actuality, doctors may be compelled to put off treatment to avoid losing their medical licenses or facing legal repercussions.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states on its website that "abortion bans, even ones containing exceptions for ectopic pregnancy, can produce confusion for patients and health care professionals and can result in delays to treatment." "Healthcare professionals shouldn't ever have to wade through ambiguous legal or legislative wording to figure out if the law permits them to use their professional judgment and deliver evidence-based care."

Four women who underwent surgery for ectopic pregnancies shared their experiences with Insider to demonstrate the effects an ectopic pregnancy can have on a pregnant person's health.

Jennifer Lane, a writer from San Diego who is now 38 years old, experienced an ectopic pregnancy when she was 21.

Lane, a college student studying in New York City for the semester, went to the ER with terrible lower abdominal pain and was astonished to learn she was pregnant. Lane was using birth control at the time.

The embryo was first undetectable, but doctors later found it in Lane's left fallopian tube. Lane's liver enzyme levels were excessive, so physicians had to undergo laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder instead of giving him the methotrexate shot.

My fallopian tube had already ruptured by the time I arrived in the surgery room, according to Lane. "I bled on the table," someone said.

She claimed that a treatment that should have taken 45 minutes instead took several hours. One of the nurses told me, "We almost lost you," when I awoke.

The "brutal" recovery had a negative psychological and physical impact. It was most likely the most agonizing agony Lane had ever experienced.

The mother of one, who previously wrote about her experience for Insider in May, stated that an untreated ectopic pregnancy is a death sentence.

Yelena Leychik, a 38-year-old mother of three from Brooklyn, New York, claimed, "I've had so many ectopic pregnancies, I've lost count." She claimed to have lost track at age 8, but her doctor claimed that it was closer to 10. "It's a fact of life"

"Leychik added, "After the first one, you're unhappy and crying, but after a while, we get so used to it. When that happens, it becomes ectopic. I get it; it wasn't meant to be. Let's head over to get the shot."

Leychik claimed that after one fallopian tube rupture, the pain was so severe that it seemed like she "was being pulled apart." She underwent laparoscopic surgery after suffering injuries akin to Lane's.

She claimed that even the less invasive methotrexate shot is so potent that it leaves her feeling exhausted. You're not sure if your fatigue, irritability, and rage are caused by pregnancy hormones or your prescription.

Leychik's doctors are unsure of the cause of her frequent ectopic pregnancies. There is "just a lot of praying" once she is a few weeks along in a pregnancy, she claimed.

She has learned through her experience that, even with a desired pregnancy, reproductive health shouldn't be taken for granted. "When friends talk about delaying having children, I tell them, "Don't put it off. Don't imagine that just because you want one, it will happen immediately."

In February of this year, Erica Swallow began bleeding, which she initially put down to heavy menstruation or the consequences of having her IUD removed recently. But she rushed to the hospital when the agony became so severe that it caused her to have blurred vision and make vomit.

Swallow told Insider that she was "crying out" and thought she was "about to black out" while at the emergency room.

Physicians verified the 36-year-pregnancy. old's But one of her fallopian tubes was where the embryo, estimated to be between two and five weeks old, was growing.

Swallow, a realtor from Springfield, Massachusetts, stated, "The doctor said the pregnancy didn't look like it was viable but asked whether I'd prefer to retain it if it was." Even though doctors warned that it would endanger her ovaries and fallopian tubes, she stated, "It was essential to me that I was asked my opinion, and I knew I would like to keep my decision." Trying to avoid miscarriage, I entered not knowing if I'd have a child after this or even if I'd still have my reproductive organs, said Swallow.

Although the surgery was performed, the pregnancy was not viable. Additionally, Swallow's left fallopian tube had to be removed.

Swallow expressed her gratitude for her life in a blog post about ectopic pregnancy. "It's terrifying."

Having endured continuous cramps and bleeding for five weeks in the fall of 2018, Sarah Myerson said she accepted her physician’s diagnosis of a protracted miscarriage.

However, she had an ultrasound that revealed a "huge cyst" on one of her ovaries after her OB/GYN saw that her levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG were rising. Myerson, a 34-year-old cantor from Brooklyn, New York, stated, "She thought it was about to burst, therefore I needed it to be removed right away."

A condition Myerson claimed she "had never heard of" was an ectopic pregnancy, which the hospital surgeon believed to be the case. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the woman's pregnancy, the cyst, and the fallopian tube that had housed the embryo.

Myerson told Insider that she was concerned that states with abortion restrictions may make it difficult for physicians to prescribe methotrexate, which might be categorized with procedures for elective terminations.

If ectopic pregnancies can't be handled properly and you have to wait until it's an urgent situation that has you coding on the floor for surgery, Myerson added, that is absurd.