Medical Questions » Female Problems Questions » Question No. 387
| Question: | What is a blighted ovum? My gynaecologist said it caused my miscarriage. It sounds terrible! Do I need more treatment? Can I fall pregnant again? |
| Answer: | It sounds far worse than it is, and sometimes doctors are guilty of dropping these frightful medical terms into a conversation without adequately explaining them.
If you don' t understand what your doctor is saying, tell him or her, so that a translation into terms more familiar to the layman can be given.
A blighted ovum is one that is not developing properly after fertilisation. It is a pregnancy that would never produce a normal baby. The ovum (or egg) may have been formed abnormally, or may not be developing properly after fertilisation by a sperm. It is probably best thought of as the placenta (or afterbirth) growing without a baby (in any way we would imagine) being present. The mother' s body realises that things are not progressing properly, and stops the pregnancy by having a miscarriage.
The normal treatment would be to have the womb (uterus) cleaned out by a small operation, but after this you can get pregnant again. It will not affect any future pregnancy, and should be considered to be just bad luck. One in eight of all pregnancies ends as a miscarriage.
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