Blighted Ovum: What It Is, Causes And Symptoms
It can be chromosomal or genetic problems; it cannot be prevented.
rebecca malachi 
Image: iStock
In This Article
A blighted ovum is an anembryonic pregnancy where the fertilized egg implants into the uterus but does not develop into an embryo. This leads to early pregnancy loss before 20 weeks and accounts for 50% of all miscarriages (1) (2). A miscarriage can be a devastating experience for expecting mothers. Thankfully, this unfortunate event does not affect your chances of conceiving again.
Read on to know the diagnosis, management, and prevention of blighted ovum. We also answer some questions associated with a blighted ovum.
What Is A Blighted Ovum?
A blighted ovum occurs when a fertilized egg implants into the uterine wall but does not develop into an embryo. It is otherwise called anembryonic (no embryo) pregnancy. Cells grow to form the embryonic sac but fail to develop the embryo.
The early embryo produces the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), because of which the blood and urine tests for pregnancy show positive. Women might also have pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and sore breasts but it eventually results in a miscarriage (3).
What Causes A Blighted Ovum?
The causes of a blighted ovum are not apparent, but the most common reasons could be (4).
- Chromosomal abnormalities (trisomies with monosomy X and triploidy are responsible for almost 90% cases of sporadic miscarriage)
- Poor quality of sperm or egg
- Infections
- Structural defects of the uterus
Advancing maternal age and genetic predisposition (increased likelihood of developing a disease based on the genetic makeup of a person) are also the reasons for early miscarriages due to a blighted ovum (5).
Particular gene polymorphism (Val16Ala polymorphism of MnSOD gene) could result in recurring blighted ovum (6).
If you experience two or more early-stage miscarriages, your doctor may suggest specific tests to understand the underlying causes (7).
Signs And Symptoms Of A Blighted Ovum
As mentioned earlier, the initial symptoms of a blighted ovum are similar to the symptoms of early pregnancy including a positive pregnancy test result, sore breasts and missed periods.
A blighted ovum usually ends before you realize you are pregnant. While it happens, you will notice the signs and symptoms of a miscarriage such as (8):
- Heavier period than usual
- Abdominal cramps
- Vaginal spotting
Since some of these symptoms could also indicate other conditions such as implantation, ectopic pregnancy, and cervical infection, it is recommended that you consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.
How Common Is A Blighted Ovum?
Around 10 to 20% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage, and 80% of them occur in the first 12 weeks. Research states that one-third of these early miscarriages before eight weeks of pregnancy is because of a blighted ovum (9).
How Is A Blighted Ovum Diagnosed?
Sometimes, you may lose the pregnancy very early, not knowing it is a blighted ovum. So there are chances that a blighted ovum could be undetected before a miscarriage. In some cases, when the woman has vaginal bleeding as a symptom, a prenatal ultrasound that shows an empty embryonic sac, or no embryo confirms the diagnosis of a blighted ovum. If there is no vaginal bleeding, the condition can only be diagnosed in the first prenatal scan, which is done between 8th and 13th weeks.
Misdiagnosed Blighted Ovum
Some women who have a tilted uterus usually look a week or two behind and could be misdiagnosed of having a blighted ovum. This misdiagnosis will happen if the ultrasound is done earlier than eight weeks. So, you have to wait until nine weeks for an ultrasound, provided there are no complications, to detect a blighted ovum (3).
Also, most doctors confirm blighted ovum by checking the hormonal levels and performing a second ultrasound after a gap of one week (10).
Blighted Ovum Treatment And Management
If you are diagnosed with a blighted ovum, your doctor will take a call on the course of action after discussing the treatment options with you.
- Waiting for natural expulsion of the tissue: You should wait for the body to miscarry naturally, which takes about two weeks. This way, you can avoid using medication or surgery. Research also shows that around 80% of miscarriages occur in the first trimester (11). If you choose to wait for spontaneous expulsion of the conceptus, your doctor would provide you with the information to recognize the early signs of infection (fever, foul smelling discharge, etc.,). You should visit the doctor in the case of heavy bleeding, fainting, dizziness or severe abdominal pain.
- Medications: Your doctor gives you either oral or vaginal medicines to cause a miscarriage. The commonly used medications are Misoprostol or Cytotec. However, it takes some days for the body to expel all the tissue. This method is usually associated with heavy bleeding, abdominal cramps, pains, nausea or diarrhea (12).
- Surgical (Dilation and curettage): This is a surgical procedure to remove the conception tissue. It involves cervical dilation followed by scraping of the tissue contents. However, D&C comes with some risks, such as heavy bleeding, cervical infection, damage to the uterus, weakening of cervix and scarring of the uterus (13).
While some women wait for the body to miscarry naturally, some others feel medically induced miscarriages are safe. The ideal option for you would depend on your gestational age, medical history, and your emotional state.
Can You Prevent Blighted Ovum?
No. Since there is no specific reason for a blighted ovum, it is not possible to prevent it.
A blighted ovum usually occurs once and rarely does it recur. It does not affect your chances of getting pregnant again, but before you try to conceive you should give the body enough time to heal or recover from the trauma of miscarriage. This is one of the reasons why doctors ask couples to wait for one to three regular periods after a miscarriage before trying to get pregnant again. Women experiencing multiple miscarriages should consider genetic testing.
Next, we answer a few more questions on a blighted ovum.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can stress cause a blighted ovum?
Although stress can cause several health issues, it isn’t known to cause a blighted ovum. The precise reason blighted ovum occurs is unknown.
2. Is a blighted ovum the same as a molar pregnancy?
A blighted ovum and molar pregnancy aren’t the same. A blighted ovum occurs when a fertilized egg implants in the gestational sac but fails to develop into an embryo. On the other hand, a molar pregnancy is when an egg and sperm fertilize incorrectly, leading to the formation of a non-cancerous tumor instead of a placenta. Since the malformed placenta cannot support embryonic development, the pregnancy ends (15).
In most cases, a blighted ovum results from chromosomal abnormalities or infections. However, it is a rare condition that occurs and does not affect your ability to conceive in the future. It is important to get proper treatment and medications after the diagnosis and removal of the ovum to avoid any unwanted complications. And while you are going through the healing process, talk to your partner, join a support group and give yourself enough time and rest to deal with the trauma.
Key Pointers
- A blighted ovum occurs when a fertilized egg fails to develop into an embryo after implantation, resulting in a miscarriage.
- Some genetic factors, poor quality of gametes, or structural defects of the uterus are the likely causes.
- A blighted ovum usually ends before pregnancy is realized but may produce symptoms such as heavy periods or abdominal cramps.
- Your doctor may suggest you wait for the natural expulsion of the tissue, prescribe medicines, or conduct a surgical procedure, depending on the medical condition.
References
2. Chaudhry K and Siccardi MA; Blighted Ovum (Anembryonic Pregnancy); StatPearls Publishing (2018)
3. K. Chaudhry; MA. Siccardi; Blighted Ovum (Anembryonic Pregnancy); StatPearls Publishing (2018)
4. Fatemeh B. et al.; Association of heteromorphism of chromosome 9 and recurrent abortion (ultrasound diagnosed blighted ovum): A case report; Iran J Reprod Med (2014)
5. Sahar Shekoohi et al.; Chromosomal Study of Couples with the History of Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions with Diagnosed Blightded Ovum; Int J Mol Cell Med (2013)
6. Asiyeh Moshtaghi et al.; Polymorphism of MnSOD (Val16Ala) gene in pregnancies with blighted ovum: A case-control study; Int J Reprod Biomed (Yazd) (2017)
7. Recurrent Pregnancy Loss; Washington University Physicians
8. Understanding Blighted Ovum; UC San Diego Health
9. Sahar Shekoohi et al.; Chromosomal Study of Couples with the History of Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions with Diagnosed Blighted Ovum; Int J Mol Cell Med (2013)
10. D. A. Nyberg R. A. Filly; Predicting pregnancy failure in ‘empty’ gestational sacs; ISUOG (2017)
11. Early Pregnancy Loss; The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2015)
12. Abortion (Termination Of Pregnancy); Harvard Health Publishing (2019)
13. J. Lohmann-Bigelow et al.; Does Dilation and Curettage Affect Future Pregnancy Outcomes; Ochsner J (2007)
14. How Long After A Miscarriage To Try Again; The University of Utah (2017)
15. Molar Pregnancy.
Community Experiences
Join the conversation and become a part of our vibrant community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with like-minded individuals. Let our readers get your unique perspectives and do better together! Read our Comment Policy to know about the guidelines.
