missed miscarriage/blighted ovum

[nannyme]

I've just come home from my D&C that formally ended my pregnancy of 14 weeks. However, I miscarried at 6 weeks, according to measurements. I discovered this fact at 12 weeks 2 days whenI had my nuchal scan at Kings but had to fly home to France in between. I was supposed to fly back to the UK for management of the miscarriage but was bricking it so much on the flight here that I couldn't face it. We are also in the middle of moving house and stuff here so I went for the french hospital option which turned out fine - impecccable treatment.

Last time (2 years ago almost, and this is first pg since) I had a mini, chemically induced 'labour' and saw my 11 week 'baby' although I was 14+ weeks according to dates.

I've had no bleeding either time but this time I just knew, and said so, before they even scanned me.

So, is this blighted ovum because the first sonographer - in London said the embryo measured 6 weeks. In France, two nights ago, on my 3rd scan they said just a sac and no embryo. Sac measurements indicate loss of pregnancy at the same dates as King's had.

I am super confused.

I guess it makes very little difference in actuality, but I'd just like to know.

i cant help with the dates etc, but wanted to say im thinknig of you.

cx

So sorry for what you have undergone. I know little about this but when I was pg with my fourth baby, I had a blighted ovum. Fortunately, it was the twin to the healthy baby I was also carrying and went on to had, so i did not really experience any sense of loss - I only wanted one baby and did not know until I lost the blighted ovum that I was carrying two.

IIRC a blighted ovum is just that - an egg that does not develop. So if your sonographer said the embryo measured 6 weeks, my understanding would be that yours was not a blighted ovum. But I might be wrong.

Oh sorry, I misread your post. yes, if the second opinion was that you only had a sca and no embryo, then yes, that would accord with what I understand a blighted ovum to be.

Thanks for your kind wishes CarlyP.

DG - this would have been my fourth baby so also. (Disregarding my miscarried 'Delilah' for a moment) In that respect I count myself very fortunate as I have my three beautiful children. My third baby's scan showed a possible twin pregnancy as the sac was divided at the early scan but normal again later on. I wonder if something similar has gone on each time.

Sorry for your loss of your twin even though you say you didn't feel it as a loss as such.

I am just wondering if they were letting me call it the embryo rather then telling me "there is no baby" iyswim.

No, it's okay - the two different scans seem to conflict one another. I just wonder whether, at 8 weeks past the loss, the embryo would have shrunk/been consumed and that's why it didn't show the other night.

I am so vey sorry for your loss nannyme.

6 weeks' size is pretty much on the boundary between being able to see an embryo in the sac on a US scan and not. So it is possible that the French scan did not pick up the 6 week embryo that was there.

Also, the term 'blighted ovum' (or anembryonic miscarriage) often refers to a mc in which there was an embryo at one point, but it stopped developing at avery, very early stage.

HTH. I have just been through two mcs in consecutive cycles, one of which was probably anembryonic. I am really sorry you are having to go through this. Be kind to yourself, take time to rest and to let your feelings out if you need to. Thinking of you.

I wasn't sure where to put this but I am currently miscarrying due to a blighted ovum or anembryonic pregnancy (I think!?). I would have been 10 weeks this Monday. I started bleeding yesterday lunchtime and went straight to A&E (had a mc 4 years ago so have been on knicker watch!). Ended up in EPAU having an emergency scan which showed no baby. They used the wand to confirm and had another sonographer to confirm too.

The strange thing is that the sac is 'borderline' as to the size so they are doing hormone tests on my blood tomorrow to confirm it isn't ectopic - surely they would have seen that on the scan? They are going to compare my levels with yesterday's levels for this.

I have been bleeding a bit today and passed a few clots. My tummy is killing me!! I feel so sick and I can't sleep. DH has gone to bed but my head is spinning so I thought I'd come on here and see if anybody had experienced this. It seems its quite common but I hadn't heard of it before?

They said I will need to decide if I should have an ERPC (sp?) or let it happen naturally but I really don't know what is best. I've given up trusting my body as I feel it has been lying to me for the last few weeks telling me I'm pregnant but there isn't a baby there...

Sorry to vent but I'm so low at the moment.

I'm sorry you're going through this PLP.

You are unlikely to have an ectopic on top of the intrauterine pg (which there must be one of, as the sac can be seen??), but as ectopics are potentially so dangerous hospitals are always very careful in checking for them. The pattern of change in hormone levels will help them confirm the diagnosis.

if you are bleeding and have pain, it sounds like the process of mc is starting. An ERPC means that the whole process is 'over' more quickly and there are less likely to be 'retained products' (sorry, horrid horrid phrase) afterwards, necessitating further treatment. I have had two D&Cs (much the same process) and have found them to be painless and sensitively done. However, there are people who would prefer not to have surgery and go the 'natural' route.

If it helps to think of it like this, your body is, in many ways, just as confused as you - it thought it was forming a healthy pg isywim. Now it has realised and is starting to react to the situation. You have currently no reason to believe - especially if you have had successful pgs in the past - that a future pg will not work out. However, whatever you feel - grief, anger, confusion, a sense of 'being let down' - is entirely normal, and you should allow yourself to feel it and not try to force anything at this stage. Anembryonic mc is (sadly) very common and there are many MNers (including myself) who have experienced similar.

Thinking of you.

Dear PurpleLost Princess

I was very sad to hear about your situation, I really feel as you especially as I went through almost exactly the same thing last Monday.
I was also 10 weeks and started a little bleeding on the Sunday,
I had the EPAU scan last Monday morning and they confirmed I had an anembryonic pregnancy, and that the sac was there but no embryo. It was a big shock to be told that, even though I'd had the feeling something wasn't quite right. I have a 1 year old daughter and that pregnancy was perfect (despite the morning sickness!).

The hospital said I could either have a D & C or let things happen naturally. I chose the second option and it sounds like you are miscarrying naturally too.

For me, even though it was painful at times, I am glad I chose to do this. I felt in control and although I passed some large amounts of tissue on 3 or 4 occasion (the last one was this Saturday, 5 days after things started) I have now pretty much stopped bleeding and feel so much better. So the bleeding lasted about 9 days.

I am due for another scan on Monday to make sure everything has come away.

I really wish you well and I'm sure that you will get through this, I'll be thinking of you. Do remember that a blighted ovum is purely a chance thing (extremely bad luck and awful to go through) but it means that this mc should have no bearing on any future pregnancies so next time you are very likely to go on and have a healthy pregnancy. Take care and you will feel better soon.

Thank you so much for your messages and I'm sorry for your losses too.

I ended up being rushed to hospital the next morning with severe pain and had an emergency ERPC but I lost about a litre of blood in the process (to add to that, I'm rhesus negative so complications with that too!). Had Gas & Air, Morphene etc to help with pain but none of it worked - just like being in labour! My mum was brilliant, I don't remember most of it, all a bit dramatic to be honest! I stayed in overnight so they could keep an eye on me but I'm home now and DH is looking after me well. I'm still bleeding but very slightly, a couple of niggly pains but not too bad. The only thing is this annoying migraine that just won't go away. I thought it was due to lack of water, food and sleep but I've had all of those now and it still won't go away!

I've called the local out of hours doctors to see if I can get a repeat prescription for my strong painkillers.

I have to say that through it all, the doctors and nurses at the EPAU were so lovely...