Empty follicle in pregnancy

Empty follicle-what does it mean?

An empty fetal egg, or empty gestational follicle, is referred to as an ’empty sack’ in English. Despite the growth of the gestational follicle, the embryo does not appear inside it or is absorbed at a very early stage of pregnancy. The finding of an empty fetal egg on ultrasound is tantamount to the failure of the pregnancy and the impossibility of further normal development. If spontaneous miscarriage does not occur, it is necessary to induce it with a pharmacological method or perform a procedure called “spontaneous miscarriage”. Spooning.

Empty pregnancy follicle- causes

Failure in early pregnancy is very common, and it is believed that up to 50% of pregnancies in their early stages are miscarried. It often occurs even before a woman realizes she is pregnant.

An empty fetal egg can result from genetic abnormalities, chromosomal aberrations and errors in cell division. When miscarriages recur, doctors look for causes such as uterine defects, autoimmune diseases or thrombophilias. Diagnostics are performed most often when this situation is repeated. One miscarriage or one diagnosis of an empty gestational follicle does not require the implementation of specialized further diagnostics in most cases. The older a woman is and the higher her body weight, the higher the risk of pregnancy loss.

Empty pregnancy follicle- symptoms

An empty fetal egg can give the same symptoms as a properly developing pregnancy. A woman may experience breast tenderness, nausea or excessive fatigue . Menstruation also stops, and the pregnancy test gives a positive result. The diagnosis of an empty gestational follicle often occurs only in the office of the doctor performing the ultrasound, who does not see the appearance of an embryo on subsequent visits. Some women may experience spotting or bleeding from the genital tract and lower abdominal pain.

Empty pregnancy follicle- management

The diagnosis of a properly developing pregnancy with the correct location must always be made by a gynecologist during an ultrasound. It is then that he may also suspect abnormalities in the development of the embryo. If, despite the presence of a pregnancy follicle, an embryo is not visible, it is usually recommended to re-examine after about 7-10 days. When at the next visit the ultrasound image is the same as before, it means that the pregnancy is not developing properly. If there is a spontaneous miscarriage of an empty  fetal egg, it is necessary to perform a beta hcg test after about 4 weeks and if the concentration is negative, you can return to trying for a pregnancy. On the other hand, if a woman does not develop symptoms of miscarriage, induction is necessary. This is possible with the help of pharmacotherapy or during a curettage procedure. The second method requires an approximate 3-month pause in subsequent efforts to get pregnant.

It is worth remembering that the diagnosis of an empty fetal egg does not mean that the situation will recur in subsequent pregnancies. Most often, the causes of miscarriage are random, resulting from abnormal cell divisions, which means that there is no way to influence it. However, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, avoid stimulants during the periconceptional period and try to maintain a healthy body weight.