|
Blighted ovum is also known as anembryonic pregnancy. Nowadays, it is
referred to as early pregnancy failure. This condition happens when upon
fertilization the egg implants on the uterus but something went wrong in its
development. Only the pregnancy sac is present and no embryo can be seen.
Because of abnormal development the embryo may have stopped early on in its
development or it did not develop at all.
This condition is usually seen during the first
trimester of pregnancy. It is also a common cause of miscarriage during this
stage. Although some women do not even know that that they are pregnant,
most are already experiencing the signs of pregnancy like nausea, easy
fatigability, sore breasts, etc. Then suddenly there is a mild abdominal
cramp or pain like the pain felt during menstruation. This is accompanied by
vaginal spotting or bleeding. Upon consultation and ultrasound examination
there is only an empty gestational sac. The pregnancy test may still be
positive during this time because the hormonal level may still be high.
But as the hormonal levels go down the symptoms will start to subside and
the pregnancy test will turn negative.
Chromosomal problems is the usual cause of this condition. There can
either be abnormality in the cell development or there is poor quality of
either the egg or the sperm. Oftentimes it is the egg that is of poor
quality.
If there are no complications or risk of infection the female body is
allowed to pass out the tissue on its own with no invasive surgical
procedures done. If there is indication, suction curettage or dilation and
curettage can be done. The couple is advised to wait for at least 4 to 6
weeks before they try to conceive again.
|