Nutrition after an ectopic pregnancy is very, very important,
but in the midst of everything else, this can often be missed. In this episode of Nourish,
I'm going to explain all you need to know about nutrition after ectopic pregnancy. Stay tuned!
Firstly, let me start by saying how sorry I am for your loss.
An ectopic pregnancy is an awful experience to go through.
If we haven't met before, let me start by introducing myself... my
name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a fertility and prenatal dietitian.
If you've had an ectopic pregnancy, you may have been given an injection of methotrexate.
Methotrexate stops your pregnancy by stripping your body of folate,
without which, your pregnancy is unable to continue.
So, if you have or will be given methotrexate, the first thing that you need to do is reduce your
intake of folate. To do this, start by reading the labels of all of your nutritional supplements and
stop taking any that contain folate. There's many types of folate that can be used in supplements,
but some of the most common include folic acid, follinic acid, methylated folate and 5MTHF.
Some foods are also fortified with folate. The most common include bread (including bagels,
focaccia and flatbread), fruit juice, vitamin waters, shakes and protein
bars. Green leafy vegetables and legumes are two of the richest food sources of folate,
so I'd recommend avoiding high intakes such as daals or green smoothies during this time as well.
Secondly, it's also important to avoid alcohol for
7 days after your injection as it can cause side effects.
And, thirdly, it's likely that your treatment will impact your bowels. You may end up with
loose bowels or constipation. Either way, you'll need to drink a lot of fluid
as it is important to soften hard bowels, but if you have loose bowels,
you'll be losing a lot of fluid, so it's important that it be replaced so that you
don't end up dehydrated. So ensure that you always have a water bottle with you and sip, sip, sip! If
you're not getting through enough, try sparkling water or add a squeeze of lemon or lime. You might
even like to add a bit of cordial if it helps you to drink more water during this important time.
You'll need to follow these dietary changes for at least a week after your treatment.
So, what should you eat?
Well you might like to try this meal plan:
Breakkie - some oats with milk or poached eggs with sides of grilled tomato and sauteed spinach
Lunch - omlette with tomato, cheese, mushrooms and spring
onions or wholegrain crackers topped with slices of tomato and bocconcini
And then you can have some salmon pasta or gnocchi for dinner.
And for snacks, try: - Marshmallows - which can
be helpful to thicken loose bowels - Yoghurt - which is great for gut
health while on methotrexate - Green tea - which helps to
further deplete folate levels - Blueberries - probably the
best fruit to eat after methotrexate - Minestrone soup - made with pasta and
plenty of vegies, but go easy on the legumes - Chocolate - obviously as a dietitian,
I don't want you to have too much, but given all your going through, a little won't hurt.
I hope you've found this helpful. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments box below,
and if you haven't done so already, I'd encourage you to subscribe for my weekly dietary tips.
I look forward to seeing you in my next video!