A malformation of pregnancy in which a fetal egg, which is attached in the uterus, does not contain an embryo, is called anembryony. The causes of this phenomenon have not been studied for a long time. With the advent of modern diagnostic devices, it was possible to identify in more detail deviations that caused the absence of an embryo.
Anembryony can occur when the embryo did not begin to form in the fetal egg, or when it stopped developing. Therefore, in the old fashion, I call an embryo a frozen pregnancy. As a rule, such deviations occur in the first six weeks of embryonic development.
Anembryonia - causes
Pathology refers more to something accidental in the life of a woman than to regularity. This is not to say that with the first frozen pregnancy, all subsequent ones will also end in failure. Almost all women who have had a previously frozen pregnancy then give birth to healthy babies.
Anembryonia, the symptoms of which are very difficult to notice, looks like a normal pregnancy. Women feel signs of toxicosis, the uterus slightly increases in size, the mammary glands swell, menstruation does not occur. Usually, at this stage, the woman turns to the gynecology department in order to confirm or deny pregnancy. Using ultrasound, doctors are able to establish whether there is an embryo in the fetal egg, and if so, is it developing correctly.
In some women, the body itself gives an answer to anembryony, and a miscarriage occurs. That is, the immune system has identified an empty fetal egg as a foreign body and spontaneously expelled it.
To date, it is believed that anembryony, the causes of which are quite diverse, can occur due to a number of disorders. Firstly, genetic prerequisites are paramount, that is, with an incorrect chromosome set in parents, such a pregnancy can be doomed to failure. Anembryonia can also occur due to changes in the germ cells of the parents. For example, a healthy egg and pathological sperm can merge and vice versa, which also leads in most cases to fetal death in the early stages of development.
In other cases of the occurrence of such a pathology as anembryony, the causes are external effects on the embryo. For example, it may be infectious diseases carried by the mother in the early stages of pregnancy; the influence of toxic substances, radiation; hormonal disruptions; bad habits (alcohol, drugs).
Of course, it is important for every woman to maintain a pregnancy, so if you suspect anembryo, you need to conduct a series of studies so as not to make a mistake with the diagnosis. Typically, the absence of an embryo is indicated by the small size of the uterus, although according to estimates of the term, it should be larger. Next, an ultrasound scan is performed that shows the presence or absence of an embryo. And another indicator is chorionic gonadotropin. In a frozen pregnancy, its numbers also correspond to the low rate characteristic of the week in which the embryo died.
With such a pathology of the development of pregnancy as anembryonia, treatment requires an integrated approach. Unfortunately, for a woman with a frozen pregnancy, there is only one way out - curettage of the uterus and removal of the fetal egg to avoid complications. If the period is short, then a medical abortion is performed . However, do not despair after carrying out these procedures. First of all, it is recommended to restore the uterine mucosa for a subsequent normal pregnancy. For this, a number of drugs, vitamin complexes are prescribed. Recovery usually takes three to six months, during which the woman must be protected. If repeated cases of miscarriage are repeated, then a more detailed diagnosis and treatment is required.