A blighted ovum usually occurs early in pregnancy — sometimes before you even know you're pregnant.

However, you may be aware of your early pregnancy because of a positive pregnancy test or missed
menstrual period. A pregnancy test may be positive because the early embryo secretes a pregnancy
hormone — human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) — until the embryo stops developing and fails to
implant.

You may have symptoms of early pregnancy, such as breast tenderness, nausea and vomiting. But when
the embryo stops growing and hormone levels decrease, pregnancy symptoms subside. At this point,
minor abdominal cramping and light spotting or bleeding are possible. An ultrasound will show an empty
gestational sac.

A blighted ovum eventually results in miscarriage. Some women choose to wait for the miscarriage to
happen naturally, while others take medication to trigger the miscarriage. In some cases, a procedure
called dilation and curettage (D&C) is used to remove the placental tissues.

Most women who've had a blighted ovum go on to have successful pregnancies. If you experience
multiple consecutive miscarriages, talk with your doctor or other care provider to identify any
underlying causes.