My second pregnancy...Part I: "Blighted Ovum"

We're having a baby! (Or so we thought...)

July 10, 2007....Pregnancy test turned positive! Since our son Ethan is already 22 months, we were more than ready to welcome a new bundle of joy. We were already trying to count the days when our baby will be due and trying to imagine our life with a baby and a toddler.

I was not very sure of my last menstrual period, though, since I wasn't very regular at that time. I got my period back only last January (after 16 months of breastfeeding and 9 months of pregnancy before that!) My OB advised me to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound even if it was still early so that we can age the pregnancy.

July 18, 2007....I underwent transvaginal ultrasound. The estimated gestational age was about 5 weeks (less than what we expected if we base it on a last menstrual period of May 20, 2007). The gestational sac was seen, but there is no yolk sac or embryonic pole.

My OB assured me that since my pregnancy was still early, the yolk sac and embryonic pole may take a while to appear on the ultrasound. So she advised me to get another TVS the next week.

While waiting for the second TVS, I already started to feel the early symptoms of pregnancy: nausea, vomiting, sensitive sense of smell...These are all expected. What was not expected was when I started to have spotting the day before I was scheduled to have the 2nd TVS. I was advised bed rest and prescribed Duphaston and Duvadilan in an attempt to save my pregnancy.

July 25, 2007....Second transvaginal ultrasound. Estimated gestational age around 6 weeks. Still no yolk sac or embryonic pole. The sonologist has already signed it out as a nonviable pregnancy.

My OB, however, wanted to be sure before proceeding with the D&C (dilatation and curettage), so we waited another week to have another TVS. If there is still no yolk sac or embryonic pole, it's likely a blighted ovum and we'll have the D&C done by then.

Still nauseous, still spotting, and getting more depressed by the day....

August 1, 2007....Third transvaginal ultrasound. Estimated gestational age around 5 weeks! The gestational sac shrunk! Not only that, there is still no yolk sac, no embryonic pole! At a pregnancy estimated to be 7 weeks when based on the first TVS and 10 weeks when based on last menstrual period. There was no doubt that this was a non-viable pregnancy. We had the D&C done the same day and stayed overnight in the hospital.

More information on blighted ovum.

To be continued on next post....