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What exactly is an empty fetal egg? It is a non-embryonic pregnancy, it occurs when, despite fertilization and implantation of the fertilized cell in the uterus, no embryo develops in the follicle. Most women may have an empty fetal egg at least once in their lifetime, but this is not always the case.
An empty fetal egg is a non-developing embryo, and it also happens that the embryo dies. This is a situation that can really happen to any woman, specialists say that an embryonic pregnancy can happen once in a lifetime, but of course it is not a rule in statistics. It is comforting that an empty fetal egg does not affect subsequent pregnancies.
Empty fetal egg – diagnosis
A fetal egg is a pregnancy vesicle in which a baby grows and develops during a normal pregnancy. It happens, however, that fertilization takes place, but despite this, the follicle is empty, no embryo appears in it. An empty fetal egg is otherwise to be morn empty. There is no one specific reason why a fetus cannot develop in a fertilized cell. In fact, there can be many causes of an empty fetal egg, the most frequently mentioned are:
- Chromosomal abnormalities caused by poor cell or sperm quality may be responsible for this type of pathology
- the cause may also be abnormalities in the work of the immune mechanisms
- an embryonic pregnancy can also be caused by abnormal division of an already fertilized cell
An embryonic pregnancy causes the same symptoms as a normally developing pregnancy. Menstruation stops, there may be nausea and vomiting, a woman may complain of hypersensitivity to smells, breasts are sensitive to touch. An empty fetal egg also causes the appearance of chorionic gonadotropin in the blood, that is, the level of hCG increases, so if a woman does a plate pregnancy test, the result will be positive. Since there is confirmation of pregnancy, the first symptoms appear, the woman is traumatized during the first ultrasound examination, which may be performed around the 6th or even 8th week of pregnancy. The test can confirm or exclude that there is an embryo in the follicle. It is rare that after the first examination confirming that there is an empty fetal egg in the uterus, the situation changes and after a few days an embryo will emerge. However, to be sure, the gynecologist who determines that the ultrasound shows an empty fetal egg should order another check-up and hCG level testing after a few days. If the blood test still confirms that the hormone is not rising, then the egg does not contain an embryo.
Empty fetal egg – treatment
If a specialist in subsequent examinations confirms the pregnancy without embryos, appropriate measures should be taken. Since an empty fetal egg is most often detected at the beginning of pregnancy, it often happens that a woman is not even aware that she is pregnant, in such a situation a spontaneous miscarriage occurs. If there is no miscarriage, the gynecologist may suggest hospitalization, during which pharmacological induction of the miscarriage will be applied. After a miscarriage, the attending physician will also order a mechanical cleaning of the uterus, i.e. curettage. In the event that the situation does not threaten the health or life of the woman, it is most often recommended that the body expels an empty egg by itself.