Ectopic pregnancies happen in one in around 80 pregnancies. They can be life-threatening if not diagnosed, as they can cause ruptures to the fallopian tube leading to internal bleeding. The condition kills five women a year in the UK.
Symptoms include severe pain low down in the tummy, feeling dizzy or faint and pain in the tip of the shoulders. It can be diagnosed with an ultrasound scan.
For help contact the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, www.ectopic.org.uk 020 7733 2653
LIKE any proud parents, Jennifer Dunn and Craig Mackay love showing off their new arrival.
But this couple's son, David, is much more than just their precious first child.
His arrival marked the end of years of heartbreak for the couple, who have been married for five years.
Jennifer, 30, has in the past had two ectopic pregnancies and a miscarriage and the couple feared they might never become parents.
City councillor Jennifer said: "Obviously it means an enormous amount. Every baby is special, but having gone through the ectopics it feels really special to be able to bring him home."
Craig, an ex-SNP councillor for the Anderston/City ward, who lost his seat at the recent elections, said: "Ectopic pregnancies weren't anything I had come across. It's not widely known about.
"It was quite a strain. I was more concerned about Jennifer than anything else.
"The main thing is David's healthy. We are very proud of him."
Jennifer, who represents East Centre ward for the SNP, first suffered an ectopic pregnancy while a student at Strathclyde University years ago.
She didn't know she was pregnant at the time.
She said: "I had various pains and I ended up going to A&E. They then found out what was wrong.
"It was only after diagnosis that I knew exactly what happened. I knew absolutely nothing about it beforehand."
Then two years ago, she had a miscarriage early in pregnancy.
She said: "It was too early to see anything, so it might have been an ectopic or it might have been an early miscarriage. I'll never know."
Last year, the couple were devastated by another ectopic pregnancy. And though this time they knew what it was, it didn't make it any easier to get through.
Jennifer, said: "I think it's about a 10% chance of having a repeat of the condition.
"The second time I was a lot more clued up as a I'd spent a lot of time reading about it.
"I started having stomach pains and I went to an out-of- hours GP.
"Everything went a lot faster, and the midwives kept a really close eye on me.
"I felt really awful and I was off work for six weeks – the physical recovery can take quite a long time – and then there are the emotional things you've got to go through."
Jennifer, originally from Girvan, Ayrshire, decided to speak about the couple's ordeal to raise awareness of the The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.
She says the charity's website helped her find out more about what was happening to her.
She said: "It was a really good source of information.
"It can be a really difficult thing to go through. Generally people don't understand early pregnancy loss and they think it's not that big a deal. But if you're going through it, it's the world to you."
Last year Jennifer found out she was expecting again. And though thrilled, she admits she was also worried.
She said: "It's a very worrying time. You should be happy but you always feel as if you've got something hanging over you.
"This time, until David was big enough to get scanned and I could see he was definitely in the right place, it was really nail-biting."
Jennifer gave birth to David Patrick Donald Mackay by Caesarean section at Glasgow's Princess Royal Maternity Hospital on May 18.
Alex Peace-Gadsby from the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, said: "Ectopic pregnancy is a common condition that threatens the lives of every 1 in 80 expectant women and.
"At the Trust, we strive to ensure women who have suffered ectopic pregnancy, their families and the medical professionals who care for them have the appropriate information to recognise symptoms and various methods of support."
