# Blighted ovum - how long did natural m/c take for you?



## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

i'm waiting for a natural miscarriage after diagnosis of a blighted ovum through ultrasound. i'm at 18 weeks, 6 days now and everyone thinks i'm crazy for waiting this long. i've had some light to moderate (only occasionally) bleeding for 5 weeks now. so far there has been no medical need to intervene, but it is SO hard to wait and of course i am super worried and anxious to be done with this.

has anyone else out there waited this long or longer to naturally miscarry after a blighted ovum?? i know things tend to take particularly long with a blighted ovum, but it would really help to hear stories from anyone who waited it out this far. how long could this go on?

thanks,
kati


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## Daisie125 (Oct 26, 2005)

After 14 weeks with my blighted ovum, I went ahead with a D&C. After doing some research on the web I learned that blighted ovums can sometimes go on for many months, even for a whole pregnancy term. While ususual, it happens, and once I hit 14 weeks I couldn't take the waiting anymore, but I still had a lot of pregnancy symptoms that was making it very hard for me emotionally & phsycally.

Good luck.


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## Mindi22 (Jun 28, 2005)

Ditto to what Daisie said.. I found out about a blighted ovum at 13 weeks, and had a D&C a few days later (at just about 14 weeks) because I was still getting sick and couldn't deal with the pregnancy symptoms without a pregnancy and a baby to look forward to. I'm amazed that you've been so patient.

You have to do what's best for you, and for me, that meant choosing a procedure that wans't something that I wanted, but I douldn't deal with the waiting. For me, a D&C was best.

I hope this helps and answers some of your questions.
Mindi


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## Mindi22 (Jun 28, 2005)

Kati,
How are you doing?
-Mindi


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## heatherh (Jun 25, 2005)

Assuming all is done (I think it is) I made it to almost 15 weeks. I also have had a lot of spotting like the OP.

I really wanted to avoid a D&C, so I'd like to think I would have waited at least a few more weeks if necessary, but I am not showing very much, I only have mild food issues at this point, and I'm not quite as tired.

I didn't know that blighted ovums can take longer to miscarry - if anyone has references, I'd like to see them.


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## SamuraiMom (Nov 7, 2006)

Hi Kati, I'm sorry that you are going though this. I was 4 months pregnant when I found out that I was carrying a blighted ovum. As soon as I found out I m/c within a few days, so I would say I was about 16.5 weeks. I wasn't aware that it could have taken so long. I hope that your wait is not much longer, and that when it does finally happen it is quick and with little pain. Love and hugs to you.


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## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

Thank you _all_ so much for your replies and for sharing your thoughts and experiences!! It means a lot to be able to share with you all because no one else seems to understand what I'm going through. I'm still hanging in there (kind of... my patience is wearing thin and my temper is short and I'm moody). I have a dr's appt Friday morning and if they can't tell me anything new I will try to induce using black/blue cohosh this weekend before making any other decisions.

I too would be interested in references about things taking a long time with a blighted ovum. I have yet to find a medical reference or research article that says this anywhere but have heard it mentioned anecdotally.

Hugs to you all.


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## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

Well, my appt today did not go well. The dr was mean and yelled at me for waiting this long. He did an ultrasound with a machine he seemed to barely know how to use and saw what he said was 'weird stuff' that was concerning. It looked like some billowing puffy stuff around the sides of the uterus and some fluid in the middle, so this is definitely not over. He said he didn't know what he was seeing but that it was definitely not normal but worrisome, potentially life threatening because it could be some form of gestational trophoblast disease (GTD). None of this was there before. I don't know what to make of it. I feel so frustrated that the information is not more clear. I guess I just don't trust anyone any more. Having someone tell me "I've done thousands of these ultrasounds over my 25 years of experience and this is not normal" is not enough for me, especially when I also am told "the radiology department is too busy to do a formal scan" - what kind of excuse is that. My hcg level went from 475 last week to 354 this week, so it's dropping, but slowly. I'm going to try the black/blue cohosh even though he said not to. I'm scheduled for a d&c on Wednesday. I'm dreading it but part of me does want this to be over with and I'm not willing to be stupid and take too big risks because they might be right. I'm just so mad at the way I've received care at this clinic.


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## Mindi22 (Jun 28, 2005)

Oh man, what a jerk. I'm sorry about that doctor... I really think that a pleasant bedside manner should be a requirement for graduation from medical school... if you can't treat people with dignity and respect, you shouldn't be a doctor (of course, then we wouldn't have House to watch on TV, but I digress... and at least he gets to the bottom of things and doesn't give up.)

Can you get another US on monday for a second opinion?

As far as the D&C goes, having been through it twice, it wasn't bad at all. I understand a lot of that has to do with where you are, but the staff at the hospital was incredibly kind to me both times, and the OB was professional and at least curteous.

*hugs* I'm so sorry, Kati! At least if you do go with the D&C on wednesday, you'll at least have some closure, and the waiting will be over. I understand the disappointment, though, and I applaud you for being as patient with your body as you have been - I'm very impressed!

-Mindi


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## barose (Dec 6, 2006)

I'm sor sorry you're going through this. If he see something that he thinks is "potentially life threatening" why do you have to wait until Wednesday to have a D&C? As much as I dislike my OBGYN pratice, they would have me in the very next day getting a bigger u/s at the hospital; and get me in first thing in the morning at that. They have before.

I agree with Mindi22, try to see if you can get another u/s on Monday.


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## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

Thanks so much for your encouragement. I wish I hadn't been so patient with my body and had gotten this over with weeks ago. Oh well... I talked to a couple of the nurses who convinced me that the dr really means well but he's just gruff and talks loudly. Bad bedside manners for sure. I'm trying to forget our discussion this morning and just trust that things will work out. The midwife at the clinic (whom I respect and trust) says he's an excellent surgeon so I hope she's right. I don't think another ultrasound will change their minds, but I will think about it. The other ob/gyns in the practice also think I should get a d&c because this has gone on for so long, regardless of whether it's actually GTD or not. I double-checked with them about waiting till Wednesday - it's not life threatening enough to make it happen sooner it seems. It seems like forever until then, but it will be over soon, and hopefully when they analyze the tissue they won't find anything worrisome. The good thing is that my hcg levels are going down which usually means a better prognosis. It looks like I probably won't try the cohosh after all but I'm still not sure. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your good wishes.


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## WaturMama (Oct 6, 2006)

Mine came at 11w6d only a few days after the sad ultrasound, and the wait was still so agonizing and sad. My heart and admiration goes out to you for your long wait.

When we were discussing options my midwife said that there were homeopathy and accupressure options, and there were herbs that are more powerful than cohosh. I don't know much more than that but if any of those routes appeal to you, you could look into them further. I think this is a time to really listen to your intuition.

Many, many good wishes for whatever route you take.

***Adding this on 3/4: What I thought was the miscarriage (2 weeks of period-like bleeding, cramps, and passing tissue), turned out not to be. I had an u/s on 3/1 and most of the material is still in me. So I'm still waiting. Just wanted to add that for the record.


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## mamatosaskia (Sep 20, 2005)

Hi,

I found out at 8w3d that I had what they think was a blighted ovum. I just miscarried last night (at 9w1d). I was relieved that it didn't take very long from diagnosis to miscarriage, but I have to say it was intense. I was very shocked at how much it reminded me of my labor with dd (although much less intense).

I hope that helps.

jacqueline


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## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

Thanks all for your replies and encouragement.

I had the d&c last Wednesday, when I was supposed to have been 20 weeks along. Physically, the recovery was thank goodness not bad (bleeding stopped fairly quickly, no cramping afterwards), but emotionally it was much much harder. I felt so sad and so drained and just cried and cried afterwards. I was upset that this whole ordeal had happened, upset at the way the dr's treated me (even the morning of the surgery was bad), upset at the uncertainties of the future... I still feel uncertain about whether it had to be this way - maybe my body would have passed things naturally if I had kept waiting - but given what the dr's were telling me it felt like the risk was too big. Who knows.

Anyway, I feel much better now, after a few days of working through my thoughts and feelings, and finally feel like I'm on the road to healing... I am very thankful that the surgery seems to have gone well and that I can try to move forward. I am trying not to dwell on the past, but to accept it and to focus on the present (not the future either!). I am still waiting for tissue analysis - won't find out for another week I guess.

Thanks for all your support through this. Sending you all positive thoughts as you deal with your own recent losses and especially to those who are still waiting (like Waturmama - hope you are doing well)!


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## EENS (Jul 8, 2005)

Hugs to you. Thanks for posting your story.

I'm going through what I suspect is a blighted ovum now and there is no end in site. I go in for an u/s on THursday to check on the progress (which is none.)

EENS


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## gretasmommy (Aug 11, 2002)

Oh, KatiKati! I am so glad that you are feeling a bit better! You have been in my thoughts.

I had a d&c with my first loss, at 9 weeks, and was surprised by the ease with which I recovered. This second loss is just about over. No d&c this time. I am hoping for a speedy recovery for us all, both physically and emotionally - at least, once the physical part has passed I feel I can move on to the emotional healing that needs to happen.

Take care!


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## kati_kati (Jan 20, 2007)

So the good news is, it turns out I don't have GTD! The pathology report came back and said the tissue from the d&c was consistent with a blighted ovum. I am very relieved! They still have to follow the HCG levels down to zero. They were at 75 the day after the surgery, so hopefully will be zero by next week.

I was thinking about what this thread would say to someone who stumbles across it in the future... I was originally hoping that I would find other women out there that had waited for a long time before a blighted ovum passed so that I would feel it was ok to keep waiting. In the end, my story seems to tell that waiting *too* long doesn't work. I'm sad about that. I was hoping so badly that my body could do this, and because my HCG levels were slowly dropping, I'd like to think that eventually it would have. But in the end it turned out that the risks of waiting were too high (because ultrasound can never say for sure if it's just what they call "retained products of conception" or signs of gestational trophoblast disease (GTD) (like molar pregnancy)). Well, what happens happens. To anyone out there in a similar situation, I hope you can explore all your options and get as much information as you can (do research, get another ultrasound, bloodwork, etc) before making a decision on what to do so that you are comfortable with things. The good thing is that in most cases things turn out mostly ok (in the big picture scheme of things) regardless of what you choose!

Andrea and EENS - I'm so sorry for your losses. Best wishes to you in this difficult time.

I also want to thank all of you out there so much - I seriously couldn't have made it through all this without you!! Many hugs!


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## WaturMama (Oct 6, 2006)

Thank you for the report. I'm very glad to hear you don't have GTD. Yay!


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