Blighted ovums are actually quite common. Dr. Cannon notes that a blighted ovum is the cause behind a staggering 50 percent of first trimester miscarriages. And considering that 15-20% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage—and more than 80% happen in the first trimester—that's not a small number.
Your chances of having another blighted ovum are low. Most people go on to have healthy, full-term pregnancies. If you experience more than one blighted ovum, your healthcare provider may suggest testing to determine if there is an underlying cause.
Blighted ovum is the most common cause of miscarriage. Experts estimate that blighted ovum accounts for about 50 percent of all miscarriages in the first trimester. About 15 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage before 13 weeks of pregnancy.
Some couples will seek out genetic testing if multiple early pregnancy losses occur. A blighted ovum is often a one-time occurrence, and rarely will a woman experience more than one. Most doctors recommend couples wait at least 1-3 regular menstrual cycles before trying to conceive again after any type of miscarriage.
A blighted ovum will eventually cause a miscarriage, usually at 7 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Your body realises that the pregnancy is not developing properly and starts to shed blood and tissue from the uterus.
A blighted ovum, also called an anembryonic pregnancy, occurs when an early embryo never develops or stops developing, is resorbed and leaves an empty gestational sac. The reason this occurs is often unknown, but it may be due to chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg.
Blighted Ovum: When a fertilized egg doesn't become an embryo, this type of miscarriage occurs. While your hCG levels may have triggered a positive pregnancy test, they're not likely to rise any further and will instead stay low.
A blighted ovum can't be prevented. If you're concerned about this condition, talk to your doctor about possible genetic causes and testing procedures, which might help you avoid it. Also discuss with your doctor about exposure to toxins in the environment. It may be linked to blighted ovum and miscarriage.
What Causes a Blighted Ovum? Miscarriages from a blighted ovum are often due to problems with chromosomes, the structures that carry genes. This may be from a poor-quality sperm or egg. Or, it may occur due to abnormal cell division.
Following placenta and the pregnancy sac formation, the embryonic division may stop causing anembryonic pregnancy or blighted ovum. Its reason is completely unknown but, it is suggested that genetic and chromosome disorder is the probable reason (4).
There are a number of reasons why a blighted ovum can be misdiagnosed. During an early pregnancy visit, your doctor will typically use an ultrasound to look for signs of a viable pregnancy. If the doctor sees what they believe is an empty embryonic sac, they may tell you that you have a blighted ovum.
Often, seeing no yolk sac (or a yolk sac that is smaller than normal or otherwise misshapen) at 6 weeks can be a sign of miscarriage. Unfortunately, you'll most likely have to wait until a follow-up ultrasound to be sure.
To diagnose a blighted ovum, ultrasound is necessary. This will usually happen around six weeks, Greves says. At that point, you should be able to see a fetal heartbeat and other characteristics of a growing fetus on the radar, she explains.
Blighted Ovum Symptoms
Until the embryo has been expelled from the body, hormones are still being produced and pregnancy tests can have positive results. A woman may have morning sickness, bloating, sore breasts, and other common symptoms that show up during the first weeks of pregnancy.
Though the specific cause is unknown, most of the time, blighted ovum is the result of chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg. Other possible causes—or factors that increase the risk of blighted ovum—can include: An infection. An autoimmune disease in the pregnant person.
Because early normal pregnancies also show a gestational sac but no detectable embryo during a brief but finite stage of early development (approximately 4.5–6 weeks for most normal pregnancies)15, the diagnostic dilemma of an 'empty' sac is a common one.
It's too early
You may have counted the days incorrectly if you're unable to see the gestational sac. Something as simple as getting the dates wrong may be the reason why you don't see anything during a 5-week ultrasound. This is common and has everything to do with your human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels.
It contains a yolk sac (protruding from its lower part) but no embryo, even after scanning across all planes of the gestational sac, thus being diagnostic of an anembryonic gestation. A blighted ovum or anembryonic gestation is characterized by a normal-appearing gestational sac, but the absence of an embryo.
If your hCG level is higher than 1500 to 2000 and the gestational sac is not visible, your doctor may diagnose an ectopic pregnancy.
Gestational sac, yolk sac and fetal pole
The gestational sac may be recognized as early as 4 weeks and 1 day from the last menstrual period and should always be seen after 4 weeks and 4 days. Its diameter is about 2 mm and increases in size to measure 5–6 mm at 5 weeks.
There are a number of reasons why a blighted ovum can be misdiagnosed. During an early pregnancy visit, your doctor will typically use an ultrasound to look for signs of a viable pregnancy. If the doctor sees what they believe is an empty embryonic sac, they may tell you that you have a blighted ovum.
Miscarriages from a blighted ovum are often due to problems with chromosomes, the structures that carry genes. This may be from a poor-quality sperm or egg. Or, it may occur due to abnormal cell division. Regardless, your body stops the pregnancy because it recognizes this abnormality.
These may include: waiting for miscarriage symptoms to occur naturally. taking medication, such as misoprostol (Cytotec), to bring on a miscarriage. having a D and C (dilation and curettage) surgical procedure to remove the placental tissues from the uterus.
A blighted ovum is similar to other miscarriages in the sense that there was some developmental abnormality that ultimately caused the pregnancy to fail. It can create feelings of loss and despair, but it's important to understand that there is no way to prevent it from happening and women should not blame themselves.
Often, seeing no yolk sac (or a yolk sac that is smaller than normal or otherwise misshapen) at 6 weeks can be a sign of miscarriage. Unfortunately, you'll most likely have to wait until a follow-up ultrasound to be sure.