Heartbeat, Then Blighted Ovum?
QUESTION
Dear Ms Ultrasound,
I had vaginal ultrasound when last week (5 weeks pregnant). The doctor did not see any heartbeat. He enlarge the picture and we both see blinking white. The doctor said that is the heartbeat. Is that right? Is it also possible to have a blighted ovum after seeing the heartbeat?
ANSWER
When you have an ultrasound early in pregnancy, the heartbeat looks like a fast flickering. I think this is what you are describing to me and it sounds quite normal. A blighted ovum occurs when the pregnancy just hasn't worked quite right and no fetal pole forms. So, the answer to your question -- NO you do not have a blighted ovum when a heartbeat is seen.
-- Jane, RDMS.
Jane Foley
Jane Foley has worked as a Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist) since 1979. Jane has lived and worked in many parts of the world including Saudi Arabia. She is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or RDMS. She pulls a wealth of information from her experience in the field of Radiology and her interactions with such a broad cross-section of cultures she has visited. She now makes her home on the island of Maui with her English husband, Michael.
