A mother who has experienced two ectopic pregnancies has spoken of her hope that a trial of a new drug could help hundreds of women avoid emergency surgery each year. Ectopic pregnancy occurs in about one in 80 pregnancies when the embryo grows in the wrong place, often outside the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. This can lead to life-threatening complications if the tube bursts, necessitating emergency surgery to remove it.
Now, a trial with a budget of £1.6 million will investigate whether a drug called mifepristone is more effective in treating ectopic pregnancy than current medical treatments. Helen Corsi-Cadmore, 43, from Cardiff, who had twins four years ago via IVF after experiencing two ectopic pregnancies, expressed her support for the trial. She is a project co-ordinator at the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, one of the organisations contributing to the research led by the University of Aberdeen.
Corsi-Cadmore shared her personal experience, stating that losing her fallopian tubes to ectopic pregnancies was devastating. She believes that the new drug trial offers hope for those with ectopic pregnancies to potentially avoid surgery. The trial, funded by a Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) partnership, will be led by Dr Andrea Woolner from the University of Aberdeen.
The trial aims to recruit eligible women for medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy across 40 early pregnancy units in the UK. The team hopes that adding mifepristone to the standard treatment, alongside existing medication like methotrexate, may reduce the need for emergency surgery. The study anticipates showing that blocking progesterone with mifepristone could mitigate the necessity of emergency surgery for many women.
Despite advancements in diagnosing ectopic pregnancies that allow some women to be treated with medication instead of surgery, up to 30% of patients currently still require emergency surgical interventions. The trial is set to commence later this year nationwide and expects results by 2027. Collaborating experts from various universities and the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust will also contribute to the research efforts.