Embryonic arrest generally occurs at what time?

Written by Liu Wei Jie
Obstetrics
Updated on September 06, 2024
00:00
00:00

First, let's discuss what embryonic arrest means. There are two scenarios of embryonic arrest. The first scenario is where the embryo initially does not develop well, leading to the cessation of development in the very early stages of pregnancy. The second scenario occurs when the embryo initially develops well, but after a period, embryonic arrest happens. Therefore, embryonic arrest generally occurs during early pregnancy but can also occur later, around the middle of early pregnancy. It can happen at any time, but it is most commonly identified after 8 weeks. However, some cases involve the presence of an embryonic bud and heart tube, and embryonic arrest can still occur even at 10 or 11 weeks.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
57sec home-news-image

Does an embryonic arrest require a uterine curettage?

After discovering that the embryo has ceased developing, it is necessary to undergo a uterine cleaning treatment. If an embryo arrest is not dealt with promptly, it can cause an infection in the uterine cavity and even lead to abnormalities in the woman's coagulation function, which is very detrimental to health. However, a uterine cleaning is not always necessary. If the gestational sac is relatively small, medications can be used to induce contractions of the uterus, facilitating the expulsion of the gestational sac from the body. It is advisable to handle the situation promptly after discovering an arrested embryo and to perform thorough prenatal screenings before attempting to conceive again, to prevent the recurrence of such adverse pregnancy conditions.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
1min 2sec home-news-image

Can you have intercourse with an arrested embryo development?

It is not recommended to have sexual intercourse when embryo arrest occurs. Embryo arrest, also known as missed miscarriage, refers to the abnormal development of the gestational sac during early pregnancy, and no fetal heartbeat is detected on an ultrasound by the ninth week of pregnancy. Once embryo arrest is diagnosed in clinical practice, a dilation and curettage surgery should be performed as soon as possible to minimize the impact on the fetus. However, during embryo arrest, since the gestational sac itself is not developing normally and is unstable, it is not advisable to have sexual activity. Sexual activity could stimulate the uterus to contract, leading to bleeding, which is not conducive to managing the embryo arrest. Moreover, sexual activity can easily lead to gynecological inflammation. If sexual activity causes gynecological inflammation, it is necessary to treat the inflammation before proceeding with the abortion, which can delay the process. Therefore, it is not recommended to have sexual intercourse during embryo arrest.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
42sec home-news-image

Is a painless abortion painful for a missed miscarriage?

After an embryonic arrest occurs, it is necessary to terminate the pregnancy promptly, and a painless abortion surgery can be chosen. During the abortion surgery, anesthetic drugs are administered, usually intravenous anesthesia. During the procedure, the patient is in a sleeping state, completely unconscious, and therefore does not feel any pain. Generally, a few minutes after the surgery, the effect of the anesthetic wears off quickly and the patient will wake up. Therefore, patients can rest assured, especially for women who are particularly sensitive to pain, using painless abortion can reduce their fear and alleviate some of the pain during the procedure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
58sec home-news-image

Will the embryo still grow if the embryo has ceased development?

Embryo arrest, also known as missed abortion, refers to the condition in early pregnancy where, due to congenital developmental defects in the gestational sac or other influencing factors, natural development does not occur, resulting in the absence of a fetal heartbeat. Once embryo arrest has been diagnosed, the embryo generally does not continue to grow, because embryo arrest means that the gestational sac has died and is gradually decaying. If a subsequent ultrasound check reveals that the embryo may have grown slightly since the previous examination, this should not be considered as growth continuation of the embryo, but rather attributed to measurement error. Therefore, once embryo arrest is detected and meets diagnostic criteria, timely re-examination may show some lengthening of the embryo. However, in the absence of a fetal heartbeat, it still needs to be treated as embryo arrest, and an abortion procedure should be promptly performed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhao Li Li
Obstetrics
45sec home-news-image

Does an embryonic arrest still have pregnancy reactions?

After a normal miscarriage, hormone levels do not suddenly drop to a non-pregnant state, so pregnancy reactions may still occur. Simply based on the current state of pregnancy reactions, it is not possible to accurately judge the developmental condition of the embryo in the uterine cavity. It is still necessary to undergo regular prenatal checks after becoming pregnant and monitor the development of the embryo in the uterine cavity via ultrasound. If the embryo has already stopped developing, it is necessary to seek medical treatment for an abortion in a timely manner to avoid causing disorders in the body's coagulation function.