Blighted Ovum: What You Need to Know

In the case of blighted ovum, also known as anembryonic pregnancy, membranes and placenta that make up a gestational sac are formed, but there are no babies in these structures. In such cases in both urine and blood, pregnancy tests are positive. However blighted ovum is diagnosed in an ultrasound environment with an embryo and heartbeats being observed during the weeks that should be seen, with an empty view of a gestational sac. Blighted ovum is a devastating condition especially for expectant mothers. Because positive pregnancy tests are very special and important for expectant mothers.

Blighted ovum is recognized in the early stages of pregnancy and can be intervened early if a pregnant woman is able to go to an ultrasound examination. However, if ultrasonography is not performed,  pregnant women may think that they are real pregnant for a long time. Especially in women who have irregular menstrual bleeding, care should be taken in cases of blighted ovum in case the ovulation is likely to occur later than expected.

What Causes a Blighted Ovum?

It is the blighted ovum that cause about 50% of miscarriages in pregnancies that are learned by pregnancy test and are not ultrasonicated. The cause of this problem is the chromosomal anomalies seen in a fetus. In most of the cases of blighted ovum, a body recognizes abnormal chromosomes that can not continue the pregnancy and are unable to bring a healthy infant. In this context, blighted ovum is usually caused by incorrect cell division, unhealthy embryos resulting from a combination of poor quality sperm and egg. In fact, blighted ovum can be seen in expectant mothers of all age groups, but in cases where expectant parents ages are advanced, the risk of empty pregnancy is higher. In this sense, it is possible to say that there is a direct correlation between advanced maternal age pregnancies and the rates of blighted ovum. Because the wrong cell division, which is the cause of blighted ovum, leads to unhealthy embryos as a result of the combination of poor quality sperm and egg. As age progresses, reproductive cells of women and men lose their quality and vitality.

What are the Symptoms of a Blighted Ovum?

The first symptom of a normal pregnancy is a menstrual delay or a positive pregnancy test. There is no significant change between blighted ovum or normal pregnancy symptoms. The signs of classic pregnancy, such as dizziness, nausea, weakness, make pregnancy feel itself. In the early stages of some pregnancies, pain in a groin, cramping or bleeding may occur after the first symptoms of a pregnancy. After these things happen, the body ends the pregnancy. However, women can see it as bleeding which is more than normal menstrual bleeding. In some pregnancies that do not go well, everything seems to be normal in the beginning. Thus, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the blood continues to increase and the placenta continues to grow. In such cases, during the 8th week ultrasonography, the gestational sac is empty and an blighted ovum is diagnosed.

Does Blighted Ovum Repeat?

An expectant mother who has had problems in her previous pregnancy is exposed to fear of blighted ovum when she is pregnant again. However, a blighted ovum is not a chromosomal anomaly that generally tends to recur. If a father or a mother does not have a chromosomal problem that causes it, blighted ovum pregnancies happen once and repeat very few times in very few women. The best solution for recurrent blighted ovum is IVF. But it should not be forgotten there is no need for blood and genetic tests to be performed without having a miscarriage or an empty pregnancy 2 or 3 times. In this regard, the opinion of the doctor is very important and he will do it if he sees it necessary.

How is a Blighted Ovum Terminated?

Although pregnancy tests are positive, an ultrasonographic examination shows; the possibility of spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) of a gestational sac is very high if there is a deterioration or vaginal bleeding at the time of pregnancy. For this reason, such incidents can usually be followed up without abortion. However, if a woman has multiple pregnancy losses, if genetic research was planned, or if a body can not throw out an empty sac to itself, then the first choice should be an abortion.

A woman will have menstrual bleeding after an average of 1 or 1.5 months after an abortion or miscarriage. However, after miscarriage, it is useful for a woman to expect to have a regular menstrual period 2-3 times on average to make a new pregnancy planning. Because, after miscarriage, a woman’s body, hormones and reproductive system needs a period of at least 2 – 3 months to recover itself.

How is a Blighted Ovum Diagnosed?

Increasing Beta HCG levels in blood of a woman who has had a pregnancy test is indicative of pregnancy. However, this pregnancy does not indicate the presence or absence of normal pregnancy, blighted ovum or other abnormal condition. Because a placenta produces this hormone after implantation. Therefore, Beta HCG value continues to increase also in blighted ovum. Because a placenta continues to grow rapidly although there are no embryos in the case of an blighted ovum. In this context there is no need for blood or urine tests. But ultrasound is absolutely necessary for the diagnosis of an blighted ovum. At the 7th week of a normal pregnancy, an embryo is seen in a gestational sac at an ultrasound examination. The absence of an embryo within a gestational sac at the end of the 7th and the following week ultimately clarifies the diagnosis of a blighted ovum in the event that heartbeats can not be heard. If an embryo is not seen in a gestational sac at the end of the 7th and the following weeks, and a heartbeat is not audible, a blighted ovum diagnosis becomes clear.

How is a Blighted Ovum Treated?

In cases of a blighted ovum, pregnancy usually results in self-abortion. In addition, dilation and abortion, which is a procedure of enlarging the cervix and taking a pregnancy product out of a uterus, can also be done. Materials and findings collected during abortion are sent to pathology laboratory and examined. Pathologically examined materials give an idea of why a blighted ovum is caused and allows precautions to be taken so that subsequent pregnancies become healthier.

Also, in the case of blighted ovum, use of medicines such as misoprostol to make low could be another option. However, interventions with medication can take a few days in some cases. At the same time, in medication interventions, women may experience excessive bleeding and be exposed to side effects.

In fact, every treatment method to be applied in case of a blighted ovum can be a painful and sad process for a woman. During this period, it may be possible for a pain to be controlled by a woman using pain relievers and calming medicines if her doctor deems necessary.

Women who have to make an abortion because of blighted ovum, they are spawning again after 1-2 weeks of the abortion procedure and after 1 month women are re-menstruating. From this period after menstruation, there is no problem for women to get pregnant again. From this period after menstruation, it is possible that women may become pregnant again. However, it is generally recommended to expect 2-3 months to get pregnant again after an abortion.