QuestionWhat is the difference between a chemical pregnancy, a early miscarriage, a blighted ovum, and a molar pregnancy?
AnswerJoelene,
You are probably far more likely to get more accurate answers from searching the internet or asking your doctor. I am in no way medically trained and my role on allexperts is to support women who have experienced a miscarriage and offer advise based on my own experiences.
I am not sure at all what a chemical pregnancy is. An early miscarriage is what it says it is, it could be as early as the embryo not embedding into the womb after fertilisiation, or in those first vital weeks. I am unsure when the cut off is from an early miscarriage to a miscarriage but in my opinion I would expect it to be around 6-8 weeks, others may argue its the distinction between embryo and foetus at 12 weeks. A blighted ovum I believe is where there is a gestational sac and hCG hormones present like a pregnancy but the sac is empty and no embryo developed. A molar pregnancy needs to be separated into a molar pregnanacy and partial molar pregnancy. The difference being a partial molar pregnancy developes like a healthy pregnancy, and often a foetus can be seen on a scan. However, the chromosomes are not right and the foetus will not develop passed 12 weeks (very unusual if it does but chances are it will never survive outside the womb). I had a partial molar pregnancy, and the way my doctor explained it to me was that although the foetus appeared to be developing normally in the first weeks, there was something missing, it could have been a hair follical, limb or organ, but whatever it was, the chromosomes responsible for that part of the foetus were separate and forming a cluster of cells away from the foetus, and this is not always visible on a scan and so everything appears normal, until the heart stops beating, then a histology report often discovers the partial molar pregnancy (so it was told me - as I have previously stated I am not medically qualified and my answers are based on my own understanding). A molar pregnancy is when a foetus does not develop. On a scan it is usually clear to see that only a cluster of cells have developed.
If you need more precise answers then your doctor is probably your best bet to ask, or a good internet search engine, although be warey as some internet sites are only out to scare people and they are not always completely clear and accurate with their answers.
Kind regards,
Christine
