Blighted ovum

[Anouck]

I went in for my first ultrasound yesterday. The Dr. and I determined I was about 8 weeks, based on the day I first got a positive HPT. I haven't had my period since early July, so obviously I can't go by that. Anyway, during the ultrasound, the tech said she only saw a gestational sac, nothing else. Now the Dr. thinks I have a blighted ovum. I had blood drawn this morning, and again in 48hrs to check the hCG levels. But my question is, with a blighted ovum, don't you usually have cramps and/or spotting? I haven't had ANY of that at all... I guess I'm still hoping my baby is just a slow starter or something.... I'm 36, and this would be my first. I really really REALLY don't want to have a miscarriage :(

[nwatermelonsugar]

I haven't had my period in 6 months. I've taken a pregnancy test every couple of months, always negative. Missing periods is not unusual for me.
I started bleeding on the 16th of December. Thought I finally started my period. I usually don't have cramps, or they aren't bad enough to bother me. However, today I was doubled over in pain. I had to leave work early and cried all the way home I hurt so bad.
When I got home, I went to the bathroom and passed a large clot (about 2"x1") and it was very fibrous. I thought it was most likely due to the lack of my periods for 6 months and didn't think too much of it. However, later in the evening I went to the bathroom again. I thought I passed another clot, but when I pulled it out, it was perfectly round/oval shaped about 1". It was flesh tone with what looked like an attached clot. I held it to the light and could see something floating. I popped it to see if I could recognize anything, the fluid was clear and it just looked like snot inside. I know this is pretty detailed and somewhat gross, but I can't find a description of what a blighted ovum looks like and thought maybe someone could verify?

[mstgrizz]

Hello! I just had a D&C this morning because as you, I had a blighted ovum. When my husband and daughter and I went in for my 7 week ultrasound on Monday, and I saw an empty gestational sac on the screen, I knew right away what the situation was. At 7 weeks, the embryo would be fully developing...Small, medium, large...It should still be present  and there was nothing. My Dr. reassured me that at this stage, a fetus won't develop and he wanted to spare me the grief of having to wait it out and experience a natural miscarriage. We whole heartedly agreed.

I suppose I found more consolance in knowing that a fetus actually wasn't producing. The shock of it was a blow, but this factor softened it a bit for me and my husband mutually. I lost a fetus at 12 weeks 3 years ago. The baby went into fetal demise at 10.5 weeks becasue of no heratbeat. That was devastating. Consider ourselves 'lucky' I suppose, that we only had a gestation sac and not a little life growing inside of us.

My best to you,
MSTGRIZZ

[shesherm]

I too didnt have any spotting and cramping...so sorry you are going through this  best of luck

[montie]

I did have a lot of cramping which was why I opted for the D&C.  In retrospect, should have waited.

[Anouck]

I'm sorry, I can't even imagine thinking I'm safe in my second trimester and then not seeing anything on the u/s... That must have been hard on you :(

I guess I'm not quite convinced yet that this IS a blighted ovum, especially because we really don't have a clue when I conceived, so I might just not be as far along as we're thinking... Fingers crossed.

[mlb1234]

My first pregnancy was a blighted ovum.  I did not have my first ob appt until 10 weeks and what a shock that was!  Here I was thinking I was all pregnant with baby on the brain and then there was nothing in the gestational sac!  I waited a week and had another u/s which showed the sac shrinking but it wasn't moving down in the uterus.  Then I waited another week to see if the thing would pass on it's own.  It did not and I had to have a d&c around week 12.  The entire 12 weeks I did not have a single drop of blood or any cramping.  
Same thing happened with my 2nd pregnancy but it was not a blighted ovum but again it was a m/c at about 8 weeks and I never had any spotting, bleeding or cramping.  

[Anouck]

Oh, believe me, I actually have no intention of having a D&C done, unless it's absolutely necessary. If this is a blighted ovum, I'd rather miscarry naturally. And you're right, I've read the stories about babies just showing up on a later u/s, so I'm definitely having one of those probably a week or 2 from today...

Either way, that just wasn't what I was hoping for during my first ultrasound, you know? The b/f was absolutely devastated too...

[montie]

The whole blighted ovum thing is a mystery to me even though I had it happen 3 years ago.  Thinking back, I may have let them do the D&C too early because I've read that some have waited it out and then gone back for another ultrasound and all was well. That is probably rare, but my advice would be to go back and check with another ultrasound before doing anything drastic.
Good luck.  

[Anouck]

Thanks for telling me, I guess it's best to be realistic... I'm sorry you had to go through that too :(

[vsentz]

I know how you must feel sweetie, I am sorry.
I did NOT have anything weird happening when I had mine last year. In fact I went along till 12 weeks thinking 'everything was fine' and it wasn't. That's how 'normal' my pregnancy looked.

I am so sorry =(