Hello, and I hope I can help you today. The length of time that it takes for your body to pass a blighted album is directly related to your hCG level of the time at which your pregnancy was diagnosed as a blighted ovum. The hCG hormone produced by the pregnancy itself needs time to fall, and sometimes can be as high as the tens of thousands even if the pregnancy is not viable. Therefore, it can even take a few weeks for the hormone producing tissue in the pregnancy to completely die and for the levels to fall. The first symptom the most women experience as the hormone levels start to fall in preparation for spontaneous miscarriage is vaginal bleeding. Usually most women will have some dark relatively painless bleeding and occasional cramps as uterus prepares to dilate. Passage of a blighted ovum is similar to a very small version of giving birth. Normally woman will experience severe contractions followed by passage of bright red blood, and eventually a lump of tissue which can resemble pink meat mixed with black or brownish portions. After the lump of tissue comes out, the uterus should start to contract down in the bleeding should slow down. Many of my patients have reported the pain associated with passing a miscarriage at its peak is as bad as childbirth. Many women, to avoid the unpredictability of the length of time that it takes to pass a miscarriage, choose to either have a procedure to remove the remainder of the pregnancy, or to use medication that will produce contractions and passage of the pregnancy in a predictable length of time. Furthermore, if you pass the pregnancy at home the length of time it will take can vary, and some women can lose a great deal of blood this is dictating a visit to the emergency room and having a D&C procedure in emergency fashion. So it is up to you about what you decide, but you may want to consider either a procedure or taking medication in a controlled fashion which may reduce the amount of time and symptoms associated with completion of this pregnancy. Your physician or prenatal care provider can give you the most accurate information as to what is available to you locally. I hope that I was able to adequately answer your question today, and that this information was helpful. Best wishes, and good luck with your situation, Dr. Brown