Anembrion is a pathology of pregnancy that occurs in the early stages, usually up to 5 weeks and is characterized by pregnancy fading up to 5 weeks, when the fetal egg has already formed, but the embryo is too small for visualization. On ultrasound, a characteristic feature is the absence of an embryo in a fetal egg, while anembrion can only be spoken at the exact gestation period of more than 5 weeks and the size of the fetal egg is more than 20 mm.
However, there is a difference between anembrionia and a frozen pregnancy. When anembrionii initially (in a period of more than 5 weeks), you can not see the embryo. With a frozen pregnancy, the embryo could be visualized earlier, but stopped its development and growth or stopped the cardiac activity noted earlier on ultrasound.
HCG in anembrion can grow or remain at the same level - since the fetal membranes and the fetal egg responsible for hCG production function. The growth of hCG in anembrion can not be an indication of the normal development of pregnancy, since the diagnosis of anembrion is based only on ultrasound.
At the same time, anembrional pregnancy, as it is customarily called anembrion among doctors, is not a rare occurrence. It occurs in more than 15% of pregnant women, and indicates the violation of processes inside the embryo itself for unknown reasons.
Possible causes of anembrionia:
- transferred by the mother in the early stages of infectious-viral diseases (ARVI, influenza, rubella, chicken pox, intestinal infections);
- mother's hypothermia;
- metabolic disorders in the mother's body;
- the presence of defects of the sex cells themselves, both male and female;
- lack of vitamins, minerals or biologically active substances.
It is worth noting that often the diagnosis of anembrion is false, since the diagnosis depends on the doctor of the ultrasound unit, his attentiveness, qualifications and experience. Therefore, often with suspicion of anembrion, it is advised to do a second ultrasound after 7-14 days. This is due to possible errors in setting the timing of pregnancy, both by doctors and a future mother.
If, after 5-6 weeks, the embryo does not become lodged in the fetal egg, and also the heartbeat of the embryo can not be determined, removal of the frozen pregnancy and diagnostic curettage is indicated.
Scraping for anembrion is performed in a hospital setting, the contents of the uterus are sent for genetic and histological examination, but these methods have little value. This is due to the fact that, with a frozen pregnancy at the time of scraping, the fetal cells already stop their division and it is practically impossible to establish genetic disorders.
Treatment of anembrion
Anembrion has no specific treatment. It is advisable to conduct a survey of both partners. Before the next conception, a couple is prescribed a course of vitamin preparations and a series of tests if necessary. If the cause of anembriynia lies in the mother's pre-conception or early viral, somatic, infectious or sexual diseases, then it is necessary
Consequences of anembryonia
As a rule, anembrion does not entail the obligatory repetition of pathology - the next pregnancy in 90% of women is normal. But in the case of several episodes of anembrion and frozen pregnancies, a thorough examination and elimination of the causes of their occurrence is necessary.
For the physical health of a woman, the risk of pregnancy becoming pregnant is not threatened with the timely detection and removal of the frozen fetus. Therefore, in the case of anembrionia, and the expiration of repeated ultrasound with no fetal heartbeat on it, scraping is shown to prevent the development of purulent and septic complications.