The Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) is an emergency service for assessing and treating women and pregnant people;
- with pain or bleeding up to 16 weeks gestation
- with a high risk of ectopic pregnancy
If you are experiencing pain or bleeding, please call EPAU on 01284 713143, if there is no reply please call 01284 713235 where you can leave a message for us to call you back. You will have a telephone assessment with a nurse and depending upon our assessment we will advise if you need an appointment or not.
Who is suitable for referral?
Women with a positive pregnancy test and;
- Lower abdominal pain
- Vaginal bleeding
- Previous ectopic pregnancy
- 3 or consecutive miscarriages
- Previous molar pregnancy
Unfortunately, we do not accept walk in patients, so you will need to have an appointment prior to coming to the unit.
How can you refer to us?
Your GP, midwife or Emergency Department can all refer you to us. You can also self-refer by calling the above number. We aim to review and respond to all referrals within 24 hours.
Pain and bleeding
Pain and bleeding in early pregnancy can be worrying, around 50% of women will bleed in early pregnancy and a large number will go on to have a healthy baby.
Pain
If you have severe lower abdominal pain in early pregnancy, you should attend Emergency Department straight away, for us to assess for ectopic pregnancy. If your pain is manageable and you feel otherwise well it is reasonable to call us for advice first.
Bleeding
If your bleeding is very heavy and you are changing more than 2-3 maternity pads in 1 hour or feeling unwell, you should go straight to the Emergency Department.
If have lighter bleeding even with small clots but feel otherwise well, please call us for advice
Opening times
EPAU is open between 8.00am and 4.00pm every weekday
Where to find us
EPAU is located on the first floor on Ward F14.
Appointment information
If you are seen in the early pregnancy clinic, you will be offered an ultra sound scan which may be carried out abdominally or vaginally depending on the stage of your pregnancy. A vaginal scan involves inserting a small probe, which is similar to a tampon, in to the vagina. This procedure does not injure you, or harm the baby, but it allows for much clearer images than doing the scan just on your abdomen.
If the pregnancy is not sufficiently developed to be seen on scan we may need to offer you further appointments for blood tests and/or further scans to confirm the location and ongoing development of the pregnancy. Sometimes we may advise waiting some time before your first appointment to reduce the risk of an inconclusive scan.
- Please come along with a full bladder to your appointment.
- Please note that we give priority to those who are seriously unwell so you may have to wait after your appointment time if we have had to deal with an emergency.
- You can bring one adult with you to the appointment, but no children.