# Blighted ovum - what should I expect?



## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

I am 7 weeks into the pregnancy, and found out yesterday via ultrasound that there is no baby. I was told it was a blighted ovum, but my doctor never called me back today. (Another vent!) So I really have no idea what to expect. I know that with a miscarriage later in the pregnancy, with an embryo/fetus, I could expect labor. But what about this realy in the pregnancy with no embryo? Will it just be a period, or should I still expect 'labor'? When might I expect something to happen? Will I start bleeding first, or have cramps first? I stocked up on overnight pads this evening, should I get anything else?

My midwife suggested a strong ginger tea, so I also got some ginger at the store. I know others have suggested other herbs to get things moving, but I think I will stick with the ginger tea for now.

Emotionally, I am doing OK. Going through the whole range of emotions, but I know this is normal for the grieving process, so I am not worried about myself! LOL I know enough to let the emotions flow through me, indeed honor them, and not fight it. I must admit, though, that the emotional side of this kind of snuck up on me. Last night I thought I was OK, but today I cried for a good part of the day.

Many thanks to all of you wonderful and wise women who sent hugs on the other thread. I had hoped that I would never have to post on this forum, and I am very sad for all of you that have come here before me. You have already brought me great comfort, and I hope that I can do the same for those that, unfortunately, will come after me.

Bless you all!

Patti


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## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

Laurel, no, you did not come across as callous or uncaring. This is exactly the kind of response that I was looking for - some indication of what I might experience physically. Many thanks for sharing your experience.

I would still like to hear from others if they would like to share their experience, as well.

Many thanks,

Patti


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## moongazer (Sep 17, 2002)

Patti--
I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. I miscarried a blighted ovum too. I found out at about 10 weeks and it took another 2 weeks for the m/c to start. I had cramps first and then the bleeding started. The really heavy bleeding lasted about 10 hours. The cramps were more like bad period cramps than like labor. I was surprised at the amount of blood and large clots I passed. I thought since there was no fetus, there wouldn't be so much to pass.
You also might want some kind of pain reliever. I took Advil. A heating pad really helped me, too. And I was constantly in and out of the shower---and that helped too. After the heavy part, my bleeding lasted 21 days as heavy as a regular period. But I think that is longer than usual. Hopefully yours won't be that long.
Take care of yourself. Drink A LOT and try to eat well. Rest when you can. The women here are so kind. You will find lots of support.


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## mommybritt (Nov 19, 2001)

Hugs to you, Patti. I found out my last pregnancy was a blighted ovum very early, at about 6 weeks. I just *knew* something was wrong and insisted on being checked. Personally, I had a really bad experience with this m/c -as if there's ever a good one, I know but this m/c was way worse than my first.

As I said, I found out very early on that it was a blighted ovum, I decided to wait and miscarry naturally. I really, really, really wanted to avoid a d&c. This was very hard because, as you probably know, with a blighted ovum, you can get all the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. So I had major morning sickness (really all-day sickness) and was feeling miserable. It was hard on me and it was really hard on dh and on 2 year old dd.

At 9 weeks, nothing had happened and I was still experiencing full force morning sickness so I went to a naturopath for acupuncture and homeopathics. Nothing happened.

At 10 1/2 weeks, I was nearing the end of my rope, I was feeling so sick, my family was suffering and this had been going on for over a month. I decided to go the medical route and took Cytotec to induce miscarriage. I was able to take this at home, which I liked. I took 2 courses of Cytotec.

The first course resulted in bleeding for about 12 hours, but just like a period, not very heavy at all. I went for an u/s which showed that the pregnancy was still there and fully intact. So I did a second round of Cytotec which resulted in very heavy bleeding for several days, including one night where I passed most of the pregnancy. That night was awful physically. I was passing huge clots and was soaking through my pads, my pants, my bed, etc in literally seconds. I was feeling horrible. At about 1am, I passed the largest clot I have ever seen and then passed out. Luckily, it was just for a second but I was so pale afterwards and couldn't get up off the bathroom floor for about 20 minutes. When I did crawl back to bed, I called my mom to come and watch dd and made dh take me to the hospital. They gave me fluids at the hospital and monitored me a bit but sent me home the next morning. As the other women mentioned, heat really helps and Advil as well.

So, the next day, I went for an u/s which showed that almost everything was gone but a little bit of what they thought was placenta. I opted to wait and pass that naturally as the dr thought I definitely would.

A week later (so at 12 weeks pg), I went back for another u/s and blood test. The blood test showed my HCG levels at 3300 and the u/s showed the placenta hanging on. So, my dr said that while it would likely resolve naturally, it could take some time and it would put me at risk for infection. I wasn't that concerned about infection but I was very concerned about the time factor. I had had enough. So, at that point, I did what I had been dreading and booked a d&c.

The physical part of the d&c was the easiest part of the whole m/c, physically speaking. Although it was done under a general anesthetic, it really wasn't a big deal and I was feeling fine by the evening. Emotionally, it was a disaster. I was scared and upset. I was booked for surgery at 8am and didn't end up going in until 2pm so I spent all that time lying in my hospital bed in that tiny little hospital gown just mourning this pregnancy and feeling awful. I woke up from the surgery screaming "My baby is gone! My baby is gone!" I guess those few seconds of complete vulnerability when I was coming out of the anesthetic allowed my true feelings to come through.

Blighted ovums are sort of unknowns in terms of how long it will take to m/c naturally. It is not uncommon for a blighted ovum pregnancy to proceed like a normal pregnancy until 16 weeks or even 18 weeks. It is also not uncommon for the m/c to start at 7 weeks or 8 weeks. It's hard to say. If you start to feel pregnancy, morning sickness, etc, it becomes more likely that the pregnancy will hold on longer. You won't find much info on when blighted ovum's resolve naturally because there aren't enough women out there letting that happen for them to come to any sort of conclusion.

I think you should think about how you'd feel if you didn't miscarry until 16 or 17 weeks and about how you'd feel if you went the medical route, etc. Personally, I couldn't have made it to 16 weeks. It would have been way too hard for me and my family. Looking back, I know I made the right choices with the information I had at the time but the whole process couldn't have turned out much worse for me. However, if it happened to me again, I don't know what I'd do. I still don't think I'd go straight to a d&c. I think because I found out so early on and had such bad morning sickness, I really couldn't take it this time.

Please treat yourself gently and post here as often as you need to. I hope some of this lengthy post helped!


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## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

Thank you, Britt, for sharing your story. When I read it I cried, both for you and for me. What an awful thing to have to go through! I cannot imagine going to 16 weeks. It has only been 2 days since I found out, and I already want it OUT OF MY BODY!!! I am sure you (all) understand the feeling. I had been having some nausea, but really very mild, just like I had with my daughter, who is now 2 years old. It may be just psychological, but yesterday I had almost no nausea - I didn't even put on my Sea-bands. So maybe this will pass quickly, and relatively easily.

How did you explain it to your DD? Had you already told her that you were pregnant?

Thank you also, Moongazer, for sharing your story. I wanted to know the full range of possibilities for how this might resolve itself.

I would still like to hear other stories, if more want to share. Blessings to all,

Patti


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## DarkHorseMama (Mar 8, 2003)

Patti, I miscarried last week with a suspected blighted ovum. I was about 7weeks from LMP and had brown off/on spotting throughout. Wasn't concerned much about it, although I did not experience it in my previous pregnancy. We went to visit with a midwife group on Saturday for a consultation and tour, but the following Tuesday I started spotting red blood. When I phoned the midwife, she said to not be alarmed...that it was atypical, but not necessarily abnormal. She requested that I come in the next day to pull hCG levels and take things from there.

The next day we went to the midwifery office and they drew blood only to check for the hCG test. The kind nurse suggested that we not do the full 7 vials of prenatal bloodwork, but to wait and see what was developing. When I phoned back that afternoon, she informed me that my levels were ~2000 (whereas I should have been around 7000). She asked me if my dates could possibly be off and I assured her that they were not. She said that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility and to come back on Friday to recheck the levels. I didn't need to go that long. Only a couple of hours later I started to pass tissue and heavy bleeding. Surprisingly, I had no pain and while I could feel my uterus contracting, no cramping.

I passed the cord and surrounding tissues immediately, but there were no fetal remains that were discernable. I continued to bleed (like a heavy period) and pass tissues for the next few days. However, it is now 10 days and I have stopped bleeding. Throughout my miscarriage, I experienced no pain and only the occasional minor cramp.

I will be visiting the midwife again next week to check my hCG levels to see what shows up. Hopefully I will get a <5 reading, but we'll see. I do believe that the abortion was natural and complete and I don't expect to need a D&C. I felt very tired physically and emotionally for several days. It helps to rest as much as possible and keep well hydrated.

I'm sorry for your loss. My DH and I are at peace with what has occurred. We are wistful and a bit sad, but will expect to meet our spirit baby in a future pregnancy. Keep well and take care of yourself, hon.


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## gina (Aug 30, 2002)

hello all- thanks britt for your detailed account of your ordeal- i am in the midst of a similar one- at 6 weeks began to bleed, have blighted ovum. doctor suggested cytotec and used it 2 nights ago-definitely passed some clumps, have aching uterus- i lack confidence that the tissue is truly gone- still feel slight cramping- have been bleeding now for 9 days now!- am going in to dr. on tuesday but quite nervous- i feel worried that i'll need a d&c- had one in oct. due to no h/b at 8-9 weeks. how dreary this all is! the waiting state is hard- the longing to have the situation resolve somewhat so that one can be poised to get back into the potential realm... getting preg. and being preg. was so easy with my 2 year old daughter- am i just too old now? five of my close friends are due soon- pardon me for whining- i just know that this is a good place to do it...
gina


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## tara (Jan 29, 2002)

love to all you mamas...

I had a blighted ovum at 9 weeks. I personally hate the term, but that's what they call it. Actually, I managed to sneak a peak at the coding form from my visit, and in official ICD-9 coding they call it, "abnormal product of conception". Bleh.

I chose a D&C because the midwives told me it could take weeks for my body to m/c on its own. I think if it happened again I would not make the same choice, but I'm not sure. It was helpful for me to have a sense of control over the situation. To choose to be done with it and make it happen. But, it was painful (no general anesthetic for me - just some injected narcotic that made me care less about the pain). Most of the nurses and doctors were wonderful. I had some intense cramping for a few hours. I was emotionally a wreck for a few weeks.


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## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

gina - I am so sorry that you are going through this. How are you doing now? How did the visit with the doctor go? I am 45, and have the same thoughts about my age. I don't have a whole lot of time left, but I sure want just one more kiddo!

tara - thank you for sharing your story. The new term for this is 'anembryonic pregnancy.' I think that is a much nicer term than either 'blighted ovum' or 'abnormal product of conception!'

I see the doc tomorrow. Because of my age, and the fact that I need to start TTC ASAP, I may opt for intervention, even though I really don't want to do that.

Thanks again to all!

Patti


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## gina (Aug 30, 2002)

hello all,
ah how i love this board. i feel so alone right now and this community helps me feel a little less sorry for myself! here i am- i have finally stopped bleeding after 11-12 days of doing so- i had expected to feel better and i actually feel worse- my breasts are still leaking colostrum- i suspect my m/c is incomplete- i feel sick today- i went for blood test this am so i will find out what is happening with my hcg level- suspect it is not good- i understand the desire to go straight to the d&c- i guess the cytotec is not always successful-
thanks all for being here!
gina


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## gina (Aug 30, 2002)

seems my hcg level is down- go back next week to test- dr.'s office seems to feel all is proceeding well- perhaps i feel terrible due to plummeting hormones?- i feel more optimistic at the moment- anyone know how long it takes for af to arrive (generally)?- came 28 days after d&c in oct. - here's to an aquarius baby!


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## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

gina - so glad to hear that you are feeling better!

I am still waiting for my miscarriage to start. It is now week 8, and I have had very slight cramping, but that is all. Saw the doc yesterday and she was very encouraging about trying again, after everything passes, of course. I am worried about my age (I am 45), but she correctly pointed out that I will not be *that* much older in just a few months, and there is no reason to believe that I cannot conceive again and have a healthy pregnancy and baby. She also pointed out that this means that I can conceive, something that I wasn't sure of 2 months ago. She also said that we would start the Clomid again on cycle 3 after the miscarriage. So... even though I know the miscarriage is still ahead of me, I am feeling a lot better as well. The homeopathic remedy for grief that my ND gave me also was a huge help!









Blessings to you!

Patti


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## gina (Aug 30, 2002)

patti, i know it is hard to wait- i found it difficult waiting to bleed- i am hoping this m/c is complete- i was so resistant to another d&c but on day 9/10 of the bleeding i felt my resolve slipping away- i have no confidence in my body at the moment- now my most recent fear is that i have a percolating infection under my bridge in my mouth and this is the reason for my 2 m/c- otherwise, i am a fiercely healthy person- i rarely have any sort of illness- the day i found out i was preg. in aug. my tooth began to hurt and i had a root canal when m/c occured- i should probably see a fertility specialist instead of letting my mind spin off into explanations- enough! (i'm 41 years old, by the way). must go and attend to dd.
gina


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