6mm embryo. Coming or going?

[Three]

Sorry all, did post this question in AP's 'If not, why not' thread but I think it got a bit lost.

So, as lots of you know I'm one of the 'having a nightmare years' owners.

Scanned mare yesterday to find a 6mm embryo.

Question is; is 6mm 'too small' for a 12 - 15 day pregnancy? I'm starting at 12 days although it's 15 days since insemination as I have a theory that she had a second follicle 'pop'.

The other part to my question is:

If an embryo 'reabsorbs' (I know it doesn't but we understand the term!) does it get smaller but maintain shape or does it break up? Is it therefore possible that my 6mm embryo is a 'disappearing' one rather than a small 'appearing' one?

Scanning again on Monday so will probably have a definitive answer then (it'll either be bigger or gone!

) but would very much appreciate the views from you all.

 

[AndyPandy]

6mm would be the average size for an 11 day old conceptus. However, there are no hard and fast rules in equine reproduction, so it is feasible that this could be as old as 13-15 days (although that would be unlikely based on its size).

If the conceptus was perfectly round, then that is a good sign. Criteria for impending early embryonic death (EED) are an irregular or indented vesicle/conceptus, fluid in the uterus, slower than usual growth rate, or a conceptus that does not appear black on ultrasound, but instead appears grey/speckled (with echogenic spots).

Only way to tell will be the scan next week! Fingers crossed for you!

 

[Three]

Thanks AP.

Someone remind me again why we do this?!

 

[lornaA]

when my mare was scanned her embryo was small for the dates at the first scan so she was rescanned a week later and it was still small for the number of days and hadn't a heart beat but it had grown, however they waited another week and scanned again and by then they said it was correct size and had a good strong heart beat. It was a very nerve wracking time as this is our first foal and my mare is a 15 year old maiden. I don't know much about when horses lose their pregnancy but i know in humans the embryo or sack or whatever you want to call it at this ealy stage loses the roundness and kind of appears to fold in on its self there fore looks smaller.