Pregnant but Showing No Fetus at 6 1/2 Weeks

Yes I went through the same thing. At about the third month or a little before I finally started bleeding and to be honest with you, I lost the baby. They said that what happened to me rarely happens in women, but it happened. My body did finally get rid of it though on its own and I had to go in and have a D and C.

Be Blessed - Bev
Just telling you the truth

Hi KZ,
My Aunt had the same problem. It was a blighted ovum, but her belly grew & she had morning/afternoon sickness. She also waited to have the next sonogram. There was no heartbeat, nothing. The Doc performed a DNC. But all is well, that made her more determined to have a baby. He's now a healthy happy 9 yr old.

Good luck!

The child is growing at a fixed rate. Even with a very early ultrasound, the machine should be able to measure and put a gestational age on the fetus + or - one week depending on the skill of the operator and quality of the equipment.

No, one's body doesn't always shed a blighted ovum or a miscarriage in a timely fashion. Missed miscarriages are far from unheard of. It is why many women have a D&C to remove a miscarriage.

I don't think you need to wait for 10 weeks for another ultrasound. However, I would ask your doctor about the chances that if this is a blighted ovum that your body will shed it on its own without further intervention.

Best wishes for a favorable outcome.

I am SO sorry to hear about your situation. I have a friend that the same thing happened to her. She had ALL the symptoms, numbers increasing, nausea, etc. I hate to tell you this, but she ended up having to have a D/C. I wish you the best and for your sake, I hope there is a baby, but from what it sounds like... Good luck!

Browse through this website (http://www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/)

There are a lot of stories that sound very similar to yours.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck at your next ultrasound.

So...I had never heard of a blighted ovum so I googled it as did a previous responder. Now I am understanding the caution my DR. exhibited with my last pregnancy. We had several ultrasounds before the Dr. finally found a good heartbeat (I was almost 10 weeks), but the term blighted ovum was never said, he merly said I was not as far along as they thought. I gave birth to my son at 37 weeks and we will be having his 1st birthday soon. Follow your heart and do what You feel is best for you. Blessing and good luck.

I just Googled the term "blighted ovum", because I had actually never heard of it. I saw a posting from a woman that who now has a 4-year old child, and she had a "misdiagnosed" blighted ovum. I think you should read it! It is at www.squidoo/misdiagnosedblightedovum. The story is by a woman named Kay - I hope you find it easily. I do think you should wait until 10 weeks!

I am so sorry, I just experienced the same thing this summer. My last period was in May and I had my first appt with the OB on June 24th. They said my hcg levels were not high, so I went every 48 hours for bloodwork and had 3 ultrasounds. When I was 8 weeks, I was only measuring 5 weeks and they found a gestational sac but no fetal pole. When I was 9 weeks, I went back twice in that week for ultrasounds and the gestational sac had stopped growing. There was never a heartbeat - blighted ovum. I felt the same way you did - very tired, nauseous (but not as badly as I was when I was pregnant with my son). I didn't miscarry, however, until between 10-11 weeks and had to have a D&C on August 1st. I hope you get better news at your next appt!

Hi KZ

It happened to me. I showed being pregnant for 3 months( according to blood work) even though I wasn't. I also felt all the nausea, heartburn and tiredness of pregnancy. The drs were baffled but I wasn't showing any fetus. I am finally back to normal(whatever that may be)and have my normal cycles back. I hope that your situation is different. It is hard and I will pray for you. L.

First and foremost congrats on getting pregnant. Secondly, I can only speak from experience, but the enevitable was was the outcomewas for my close friend. After not finding the heartbeat at a routine appointment. The end result was there was no fetus even though that there was a sac and everything. She had to have a D/C. This has been tramatic for her because she has been trying to conceive for a few years. I know this is just bad news but she didn't see it coming and it devasted her. The good news is the doctor says this is fairly common and she could try again. I know this situation has been hard to hear, especially as a mother myself, but I think if she would have had a clue she may of waited for the enthusiastic telling of pregnancy to family and friends a little longer because everyone is at feet and it makes her feel worse. I hope and pray that this situation is not at all the one you are embarking and apologize inadvance if I upset you in any way though my friend's only wish was that she had some sort of warning.
God Bless

This happened to a girlfriend of mine recently. I forget what the medical term is but it sounds as though you may not be pregnant. The body has a way of "terming" pregnancies that are not developing correctly. I hope and pray that this is not the case and they find her little baby in there somewhere but this sounds EXACTLY like what happened to my friend.

I would definitely wait until at least 10weeks before another ultrasound and then I may even want there to be some other sign of possible miscarriage. Even then I would take the ultrasound with a grain of salt. It has been wrong more than once. If it truly is a blighted ovum chances are good that you would miscarry on your own. I would relax and if it would help you to relax I would get a second opinion.

Hi KJ,
I understand what you're going through since I had a similar situation. I found out that this condition is quite common and in many cases the empty sac is passed naturally like a regular period without the woman ever knowing she was pregnant. In my case the sac grew up until the tenth week and then started to shrink. Since my body had not passed it naturally at that point and since my doctor knew for certain that there was no fetus I had a D&C. I know it's hard waiting especially since your body feels pregnant with the hormonal changes, nausea and fatigue. I experienced the same thing. You may start miscarrying at any time and although it's hard it's worth the wait just in case there is a fetus. Soon after my experience I did have a beautiful, healthy baby boy so don't be discouraged.

My situation was a little different. When I had my ultrasound with my daughter they told me there were no discernable organs (stomach, liver, etc) and that I didn't have enough amniotic fluid to sustain her. They really made me feel like it was hopeless, but a nurse sort of whispered to me that I had time before I'd have to make "The Decision" and I could wait a little while and get another ultrasound. (They also said she was way too tiny for how far along I was). So we waited, I think about 10 days (waiting was torture, I cried the whole time). Lo and behold, all major organs were there, my amniotic fluid had doubled and she grew immensely, all in ten days. She will be 6 in November, is a gymnist, sweet, smart, gorgeous, red-haired and healthy as a horse. Hang in there. Things can change SO quickly. I hope it all works out for you! B..

I had a very similar situation - showing no fetus at around 6 weeks, numbers not going up appropriately, etc. My Dr. suggested the same scenario, but my "blighted ovum" is now 5 years old! Did they do an internal ultrasound? If there's a possibility that you're earlier than you think, they won't be able to tell anything at all unless they do it internally.

Just have hope, and know that these things happen and do turn out well...they did in my case! Best of luck to you.

Hi - I went through something like this, and what they need to see is the change over time. I personally found it difficult to wait the week between sonograms so they could see the change (the numbers didn't tell much, since my body "thought" it was pregnant so hormones were responding accordingly) But for some reason the sac was still empty after the week and I had to have it removed...they said my body would likely go on trying to keep the pregnancy going even though nothing was developing. Anyway, the waiting with 50/50 chances was hard for me, so my advice would be to schedule the next ultrasound a week or so after the last one. But if you don't mind the waiting, there's certainly nothing wrong with 10 weeks. And like the other moms have said, everything will work out as it should, and I wish you the best either way this goes.

I don't think you should have to wait until 10 weeks to know for sure. The blood work every other day or so would help indicate. The numbers should be doubling every 48-72 hours.

It is entirely possible that your dates are wrong but it is hard to know. Especially since both you and your Dr. have different views on when you conceived. I've heard of some cases where the body doens't naturally take care of things.

I wish you all the best it won't hurt you to wait until 10 weeks. If you do need more help you can check the message boards on WebMd. There are very knowlegable women over there.

I had a blighted ovum for my first pregnancy and had no idea until I had an ultrasound at 7 weeks or so. They saw a fetus but no heart beat. If they are not seeing a fetus at this point, there probably is not one there. It is sad and difficult to go through but you can always try again to conceive. I do not know how long a blighted ovum can hang on... We chose to do a D & C so that we could move on. It does not hurt to be completely sure with the ultrasound though.
My heart goes out to you. Best of luck! This was so hard for me to get over, but now we have two kids so anything is possible!

K Z,

I had a blighted ovum between my 2 boys. And had the same thing happen that you are saying. I never showed any signs that i was going to lose the "fetus" or anything, I was growing, my breast were sore, the whole deal. I would go ahead and get the 3rd ultrasound b/c you don't want to destroy your heart waiting for something that may or may not happen. Your DR wouldn't have said anything if he didn't think there was a chance. I know that this isn't what you wanted to hear, but I know how hard it was to lose a "baby". But you MUST remeber that there is a reason that this is not the time. Everything has a season. I pray that God's will be done for you and your family through this and that you have peace and understanding. Btw, my "baby" would have turned 2 this month. But I have 2 beautiful boys 5mths and almost 4...things will turn out for the best!

I have been through this. It was my first pregnancy. My doctor was checking for a heartbeat at 11 weeks and sent me for an ultrasound since he could not find one. I wound up having to have a D&C at 12 weeks.

Good luck to you and God Bless.

I think you are smart to wait a bit longer. It sounds like the Dr's are giving you some mixed messages. Most places don't even do an ultrasound until between 7-9 weeks anyway, because it is rare to see heartbeat any earlier. If you have a sac showing, there is still a chance there is a baby. Especially if you KNOW you didn't concieve until July 4. Why are they thinking earlier...have you told them you know it was in July? I started spotting at 6 weeks w/my 2nd son and I thought I was losing him, even though at that point, I hadn't even had an ultrasound. They brought me in for one, but it just showed a sac and no heartbeat or even a fetus at that point. They measured my hcg levels every week for 2-3 weeks and they weren't raising as much as they said it should be. I was really worried, but when I went in at 8 weeks, there was his beating heart! And...he turned 2 this past May!Anyway, I hope the best for you, and if nothing shows by 10-11 weeks, you will definitely be sure. Also, the body works in mysterious ways, it doesn't always get rid of a pregnancy that didn't take right away. My friend went 11 weeks and had her first ultrasound showing the baby was only about 7-8 weeks and no heartbeat, so she had been carrying it 3+ weeks and not passed it. She chose to have a D&C instead of waiting it out to pass on its own. Just remember, God is in control! He has a reason for everything, and if you lean on HIM, He'll get you through until the 10 week appointment (and beyond that...either way!) PLEASE PLEASE don't do anything until you know for sure this is not a healthy baby! *hugs*

Hi,
Yes, I had the same thing except I was 12 weeks when I found out. And according to my blood and urine my body and everybody else thought I was very pregnant, but there was no baby...... I chose to wait and see what my body does (I guess I was still hoping for something else) and yes, I gave birth to it and than had to take it in for the doctors to see if there was something wrong w/ it. But they couldn't find anything abnormal.
If I could recommend one thing is to get a D&C b/c me doing it on my own was very pain full,
and what I found out a bit later, that I had a little blood chunk stock on one of my ovaries there for I wasn't ovulating properly, and I got really infected.... but after that I guess your body want's to get it wright so bad, that you are going to be super fertile..... good luck to you
Agi

I had a blighted ovum and we did not discover it until 8 weeks. Because my previous pregnancy ended a miscarriage that almost killed me, we opted for a D&C. Just a month or so before I had this, a friend had a blighted ovum and she was 16 weeks, showing, wearing maternity clothes and the whole nine yards. We were concerned as you are about doing something prematurely, so they did blood work again before the D&C (different people) for our own sanity. I hope this helps. I feel your pain.

I also conceived July 5th and lost the baby, probably due to blighted ovum. I never even made it to an ultrasound. My HCG levels did not double and then dropped. I have a friend who had a blighted ovum that she eventually had to have a D&C at 12 weeks because she did not miscarry on her own. I know how awful you feel. I feel fortunate that I miscarried on my own and early. When you have a blighted ovum the placenta starts to grow and I have read the the placenta can live up to 2 months without a fetus. I hope that you have a happy ending. Good luck and God Bless.

Please, quickly ask about the possibility of a molar pregnancy.

Same thing happened to me many years ago. I ended up waiting until the next sonogram and then had a DNC. I felt all of the pregnany symptoms but my numbers were not increasing like they were supposed to either. This was my third miscarriage. Now I have three healthy children. If this is the case for you, I feel for you. It was a hard period of my life and no one else understood. My doctor told me that this was proof that I was able to get pregnant but something just didn't work out.
It's hard to find the right words of comfort but keep your chin up!

I had the same thing happen and advise you to wait and see. Miracles happen! I miscarried after the 8th week, a fetal pole showed, but never a heartbeat, then the Ges. sac collapsed and I spotted and miscarried. The process of miscarriage is always devastating - we fall in love with that baby at the first sign of the two lines on the test! But I know God has a bigger plan and we have our little angel in heaven that we'll meet one day. Allow yourself all the emotions and grief, and postpatum stuff as well. You'll be in my prayers!
K. B

I have not been through this but I have had a friend who lost her baby at 7 weeks because there was no heartbeat but there was still a sac (I think) in her becasue they had to do surgery to remove whatever was there.

I had that happen but I did not have a lot of pregnancy symptoms and I started a very heavy period at about 9 weeks so don't give up hope. That is still also very early to show up on ultrasound too.