Pregnancy after anembryony: risks, doctors' opinion

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Motherhood is still the main happiness for many women. Unfortunately, the unfavorable environmental situation, the deterioration of the quality of nutrition, work and rest in many cases lead to the appearance of various problems that arise during pregnancy. The article is devoted to the following questions: what is anembryony, what causes it and what does it lead to.

Miscarriage

Recently, cases of non-developing pregnancy, one of the varieties of which is anembryony, have become more frequent. Statistics say that up to 20% of women experience difficulties during pregnancy, are at risk of spontaneous miscarriage in the early stages.

Another important cause of miscarriage is anembryony, that is, the absence of a fetus embryo. The following classification of anembryonic pregnancy is currently accepted:

• anembryonic type I;
• anembryonic type II.

With type I, the uterus of a woman corresponds (in size)the fifth or seventh week of pregnancy, and the fetus is not visualized. At the same time, the diameter of the fetal egg is 2-2.5 cm.

Anembryony type II is diagnosed when the embryo is absent, but the fertilized egg continues to develop at a normal rate. Ultrasound at the same time shows that the embryo is missing. In some cases, its remains are visualized, most often the vertebral fold. Pregnancy after anembryony proceeds normally in most women, experts say.

Main symptoms

A woman may not even know that there are big problems with pregnancy. There are no symptoms as such, on the contrary, all signs of pregnancy are present:

• womb enlargement;
• mammary glands swell;
• toxicosis manifests itself - rejection of certain odors and products;
• change in taste preferences.

Pathology is detected by ultrasound, but sometimes there is a spontaneous miscarriage. The next pregnancy after anembryony will have the same symptoms, only the woman will be attentive to herself and her he alth. Medical control will be more stringent.

Anembryony: important causes

At the first stage, the most important thing for physicians is to find out the causes of miscarriage, although pregnancy after anembryony occurs in most patients. And here again, unfortunately, scientists are not ready to give a clear and understandable answer. Partexperts put forward the version that the absence of an embryo in a fetal egg is a consequence of genetic disorders.

One of the reasons, according to other doctors, is the wrong chromosome set in the parents. And here various options are possible:

• he althy egg and diseased sperm;
• egg with pathology and he althy sperm.

In both cases, there is a high chance that the development of the fetus will be interrupted naturally or an artificial termination of pregnancy will be required for medical reasons.

Other causes of anembryony

Analysis of clinical cases of miscarriage allows us to conclude that there are other reasons, including:

• bacterial or viral infections;
• various inflammatory processes in the uterine cavity;
• the influence of an aggressive environment, chemical, radiation, toxic substances;
• drinking alcohol, smoking, taking toxic, drugs;
• taking certain medications;
• hormonal imbalance in a pregnant woman.

But the elimination of these causes contributes to the fact that pregnancy after anembryony will proceed as usual. Scientists continue to study the causes, focusing primarily on the immune system and genetics, which are the least understood.

Pathogenesis

Chronic endometritis is one of the important causes of miscarriage. As well asa viral-bacterial infection, in the presence of which protective immune mechanisms are activated in the body of a woman. But, if immunodeficiency states are observed, then a chronic viral infection develops without encountering opposition, and at the same time provokes the development of chronic endometritis.

The cytokine system also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of miscarriage. Insufficient activity of lymphocytes leads to the fact that the balance of cytokines produced by them is disturbed. Sometimes this leads to an excess of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Accordingly, the inflammatory process becomes pronounced, because of this, problems arise in the interaction of cells. In this case, the depth of cell penetration may be excessive or, conversely, insufficient.

Anembryony and its clinical picture

Perinatal pathology includes a fairly large list of fetal diseases, various pathological conditions, including anembryony. The clinical picture can proceed in different women in different ways. At the initial stage, all the above signs of pregnancy appear, in cases of cessation of fetal development, they disappear.

The fading of pregnancy may be accompanied by general malaise, fever, dizziness. The following signs may indicate the death of the fetal egg:

• nausea stops;
• no vomiting;
• appearance of blood discharge.

Anembryony does not manifest itself, the fetal egg can continue to grow, the uterusincrease, the mammary glands swell. Only ultrasound helps to identify this pathology.

Diagnosis

Specialists unanimously assure that early diagnosis leads to the fact that it will be easier for a woman to become pregnant after anembryony. Early detection of pathology contributes to:

• reducing the risks associated with the next pregnancy;
• reducing the timing of examinations.

Interruption of pregnancy for medical reasons at an early stage of pregnancy, allows you to maintain the he alth of a woman, to minimize the negative consequences. If anembryony is detected, the patient should be hospitalized as soon as possible.

Surgery

One of the clinical causes of miscarriage is when menstruation begins during pregnancy. Identifying the causes is important to determine the next steps. If this is due to the threat of a normally developing fetus, then the woman is placed in storage, various medications and physiotherapeutic measures are used.

In case of anembryony, the fetal egg is evacuated, and vacuum aspiration is used in the early stages. Surgical treatment consists in removing the fetal egg, washing the uterine cavity with antiseptic solutions. Medical treatment is also used, in some cases antibiotics. Early detection of anembryony allows treatment in 95% of cases without intervention in the uterine cavity. This leads to a reduction in the risk of complications (inflammatory, infectious, surgical, etc.), as well as to a decrease in the levelpsychogenic trauma.

Prevention measures

Prevention plays an important role in the lives of patients who have survived anembryony. It consists of a complex of various activities, including:

• restoration of normal microflora in the uterine cavity;
• increased immunity through the appointment of immunomodulators;
• restoration of hormonal levels;
• work to reduce the effects of psychogenic traumatic conditions.

Prevention of miscarriage includes hormone therapy, oral contraceptives for six months.

Expert forecasts

The results of numerous studies conducted by specialists in different countries are as follows. Embryo rejection is caused by various reasons, knowing the specific cause of the patient allows you to take timely measures to maintain the normal course of pregnancy.

When anembryony is detected, the only way is to evacuate the fetal egg, leveling the consequences of surgical intervention. In the postoperative period, it is necessary to carry out rehabilitation therapy, strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations.

The statistics are as follows: if therapeutic prescriptions are followed, pregnancy occurs in 85% of cases, if not, in 83%, the indicators are not so different from each other. But it is important to take into account the following figures: childbirth occurs during rehabilitation therapy - in 70% of cases, in its absence - in 18% (!).

So, anembryony is seriouspathology that can only be treated surgically. It is impossible to save the pregnancy in this case, since in fact it does not exist. Surgical intervention and rehabilitation therapeutic measures give high chances for the next normal pregnancy and childbirth.