An anembryonic pregnancy is a type of miscarriage that occurs when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus, but fails to develop into an embryo. When it occurs, the embryo stops growing but the gestational sac continues to grow. Then, the placenta and corpus luteum continues working normally as if there was an embryo and they release hormones as usual. This is what causes the early symptoms of pregnancy. It is important to note that anembryonic pregnancies are leading cause of first trimester miscarriages. It leaves women heartbroken because some women celebrate thinking that they are pregnant only to discover that there is no baby growing inside. It is increasingly difficult to detect this kind of pregnancies in the early stages because they often produce symptoms that are similar to those of a normal pregnancy. 

There are various symptoms that indicate the presence of an anembryonic pregnancy. For instance, lack of fetal development on ultrasound is a strong predictor of this type of pregnnacy. Ultrasound scan on these kind of patients show no baby growing despite the presence of a gestational sac in the uterus. Another predicting symptom is increased levels of HCG even when the embryo is not present. Also, women with this type of pregnancy experience mild cramping and spotting. What separates this kind of pregancy with normal pregnnacy is that the cramping is mild abd less consistent. Moreover, this condition is characterized by nausea, breast tenderness, and fatigue. Researhers argue that anembryonic pregnancy is caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg, which prevent it from developing into an embryo. In some cases, this condition may not require treatment as the body may naturally release the pregnancy tissues. In other circumstances, the doctor may be forced to prescribe medication to induce a miscarriage. In complicated cases, a dilation and curettage (D&C) surgery is required to remove the pregnancy tissue from the uterus. APA