Anyone know anything about a Blighted Ovum?

[Bronwen]

Can't say much but just wondering if it is at all possible the mother would not find this out until she thought she was 8 months along. Thanks!

[Natalka]

Usually it's found within the first trimester, or happens early when the woman doesn't even know she's pregnant. Often it's because of chromosone abnormalities, there will be a natural miscarriage.
The fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus, but the embryo doesn't develop.

That was about all I knew, so I did some research online, and couldn't find any info about anyone finding out later than about eight weeks - but there is always the possibility of misdiagnosis, as well.

[KrazE]

Typically this is found before 12 weeks depending on the timing of the first ultrasound. By that point, if a baby is forming and viable, there is no mistaking the formation of a baby, and there is a heartbeat.

Most times, blighted ovums are discovered in the 6 to 8 week timeline when an early ultrasound is done.


~~Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk~~

[Bronwen]

Thanks guys. So would you believe someone who said they found out this happened to them at 8 months?

[laurabak3r]

I haven't researched this in a little while, but the only reason I could see a woman only finding out at 8 months that she had a blighted ovum, would be if she did not have an ultrasound or get to listen to the heartbeat at her regular appointments. Which would all lead to a horrible doctor. And from what I can remember from a friend that went through this, her doctor found it at 10 weeks, and he told her her body would show signs of a miscarriage in a short time.

[Minou]

Pretty darn unlikely -- how could she have been "showing" as one would expect her to at 8 months? How could she go through her prenatal appointments and ultrasound without anyone noticing the lack of development and lack of a heartbeat?

Could this person be using the wrong term or saying "8 months" instead of "8 weeks"?

[Bronwen]

To me it didn't really look like she was pregnant but it was hard to tell because she always wore really baggy clothes. And she told my sister in law she is due in November and me she is due in Oct. I'm also wondering if she has the terms wrong. I guess all I can do is wait and see what she says when one of us talks to her next. I feel bad for her situation, however me and my SIL can't help but feel sceptical about the whole situation (there's a LOT more I'm not saying just cause this is a public forum).

[Minou]

I like the saying in your avatar... so true... I spent much of the day cleaning, and as soon as I'd leave a room with the vacuum, my 3-year-old had stuff everywhere. The really weird thing is, it seemed like he was underfoot and with me the whole time, so I have no idea how he accomplished the widespread chaos.

[aussie]

I had one a few months ago.... I would have been 8 weeks along, found out at my first ultrasound....
Sounds like she had her terms mixed up!

[glowworm2k]

You couldn't get that far along with a blighted ovum. Don't forget all of the bloodwork, urinalysis etc. that gets done on top of ultrasounds as standard procedure throughout your pregnancy. Unless you got absolutely no prenatal care, this is not possible with a blighted ovum, as that just means there was a fertilized egg that implanted, but didn't grow.

I *did* once know a woman who looked 8 or 9 months pregnant and who it turned out was having an hysterical pregnancy. She was a slender lady with a big baby belly (or so everybody thought). I know a few folks who had even felt her belly when she was feeling fetal movement and felt something - although I'm not sure what (could've been braxton hicks in retrospect). She she didn't get medical care as she was not a Canadian citizen and her paperwork wasn't in order, so she wasn't OHIP eligible. Around what was (according to her) the 40-week mark, she ended up having to go to emergency for a fall. They did an ultrasound and found no baby, but a massively enlarged uterus and diagnosed hysterical pregnancy. The story sounds very far fetched, I know, but the doctors said she could've easily had a missed miscarriage or blighted ovum that was reabsorbed and then psychologically tricked her body into thinking herself pregnant. The poor lady had some other mental health issues as well, I should add.

I obviously don't know the whole story, but there are reasons why you'd think you are pregnant when you're not, but standard medical care would throw cold water on those theories well before 8 months. If you did hit 8 months and something happened, you would have to deliver your stillborn baby. (I know people who have had to do this; it's terrible )

[Bronwen]

I also know people who have had to deliver stillborn babies and my heart breaks for those folks. It's so devastating I can't and don't want to imagine the pain.

Thanks for your help. Until I talk to her again I won't get much more information than I already have.