
A molar pregnancy occurs due to a chromosomal abnormality in the process of conception. It is considered to be a type of GTD or gestational trophoblastic disease.
What women should know about molar pregnancy?
Molar pregnancies are very rare—occurring in about one in 2,000 pregnancies. What happens during a molar pregnancy is that the tissue that was supposed to grow into the placenta forms a mass in the uterus instead. Molar pregnancies always end in a miscarriage during the first trimester, usually when a woman is between six and eight weeks ...
How to cope with molar pregnancy?
- Eat a wholesome and nutritious diet
- Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Include lean meat, nuts and fish in your diet
- Increase your water intake. ...
- Avoid eating salty and sugary foods
- Avoid eating refined grains and foods and substitute them with whole grains and foods
- Avoid greasy, spicy and hot food
- Avoid tobacco in any form
Can a baby survive a molar pregnancy?
The fetal tissue may also be formed, but the fetus usually does not survive and there is an early-pregnancy miscarriage. It is difficult for the baby to survive in either cases of molar pregnancy. In case of a complete molar pregnancy, the placental tissue is completely abnormal, swollen and also shows the formation of cysts that are fluid filled.
When can a molar pregnancy be detected?
The molar pregnancy can be detected only after eight or nine weeks of pregnancy through ultrasound only. The detection of ultrasound may show no fetus, no amniotic fluid, or a thick placenta with cysts almost filling the uterus. However, if the HCG test shows abnormally high or low levels during the fifth week, it can be molar pregnancy.

Does molar pregnancy have positive pregnancy test?
Women with a molar pregnancy will have a positive pregnancy test and the same early symptoms of a normal pregnancy. In the absence of medical intervention or diagnosis, the pregnancy might seem normal for the first three to four months.
Is molar pregnancy caused by sperm?
Molar pregnancies are caused by an imbalance in genetic material (chromosomes) in the pregnancy. This usually occurs when an egg that contains no genetic information is fertilised by a sperm (a complete molar pregnancy), or when a normal egg is fertilised by two sperm (a partial molar pregnancy).
Does molar pregnancy cause infertility?
A: Yes, a molar pregnancy will not normally cause infertility or lead to complications with future pregnancies. The chances of another molar pregnancy is increased, but is still only around 1-2 percent.
Why do molar pregnancies happen?
A molar pregnancy occurs when an egg and sperm join incorrectly at fertilization and a noncancerous tumor forms instead of a healthy placenta. The tumor, or mole, cannot support a developing embryo, and the pregnancy ends. It is also called a hydatidiform mole.
How long can a molar pregnancy last?
These droplets appear to burrow into the wall of the uterus, hence the name mole. In a complete molar pregnancy, the growth stops a fetus from developing. In a partial molar pregnancy, a fetus develops but it will be abnormal and cannot survive. At most, the fetus might survive for around three months.
What is it called when your pregnant but there is no baby?
A blighted ovum is a pregnancy where a sac and placenta grow, but a baby does not. It is also called an 'anembryonic pregnancy' as there is no embryo (developing baby). Because a blighted ovum still makes hormones, it can show up as a positive pregnancy test.
What are the risk factors to molar pregnancy?
Risk factors for molar pregnancy maternal age of less than 20 or more than 40 years. race – Asian women are at increased risk. dietary deficiencies including lack of folate, beta-carotene or protein. prior history of gestational trophoblastic disease – the recurrence rate is one in 100.
What happens when a sperm fertilizes an empty egg?
In a complete molar pregnancy, a sperm fertilizes an empty egg, so the only genetic material inside comes from the father. This forms a mass of abnormal placenta-like cells but no developing baby.
How early can a molar pregnancy be detected?
An ultrasound of a complete molar pregnancy — which can be detected as early as eight or nine weeks of pregnancy — may show: No embryo or fetus. No amniotic fluid. A thick cystic placenta nearly filling the uterus.
Why doesn't a molar pregnancy last?
This kind of pregnancy doesn’t last because the placenta typically can’t nourish or grow a baby at all. In rare cases, it may also lead to health risks for mom. A molar pregnancy is also called a mole, a hydatidiform mole, or gestational trophoblastic disease.
How old do you have to be to have a molar pregnancy?
Age. Although it can happen to anyone, you may be more like to have a molar pregnancy if you’re younger than 20 or older than 35 years.
What happens after molar removal?
After-care. After your molar pregnancy is removed, you’ll need more blood tests and monitoring. It’s very important to make sure that no molar tissue was left behind in your womb. In rare cases, molar tissue can regrow and cause some types of cancers.
How does a doctor remove molars?
Dilation and curettage (D&C) With a D&C, your doctor will remove the molar pregnancy by dilating the opening to your womb (cervix) and using a medical vacuum to remove the harmful tissue. You’ll be asleep or get local numbing before you have this procedure.
How to prevent complications from molar pregnancy?
As with many things, the best way to prevent complications from a molar pregnancy is to get diagnosed and treated as early as possible. After treatment, see your doctor for all follow-up appointments.
What does it mean when you have red blood in the first trimester?
Bleeding. You may have bright red to dark brown bleeding in the first trimester (up to 13 weeks). This is more likely if you have a complete molar pregnancy. The bleeding might have grape-like cysts (tissue clots). High hCG with severe nausea and vomiting. The hormone hCG is made by the placenta.
Why does my stomach hurt during pregnancy?
Pelvic pain and pressure. Tissues in a molar pregnancy grow faster than they should, especially in the second trimester. Your stomach may look too large for that early stage in pregnancy. The fast growth can also cause pressure and pain.
What is a molar pregnancy?
A molar pregnancy is the result of a genetic error during the fertilization process that leads to a growth of abnormal tissue within the uterus. They rarely involve a developing embryo, and the growth of this material is rapid compared to normal fetal growth. It has the appearance of a large and random collection of grape-like cell clusters. There are two types of molar pregnancies, “complete,” and “partial.”
How are molar pregnancies removed?
Molar pregnancies are removed by suction curettage, dilation, and evacuation (D & C), or sometimes through medication. A general anesthetic is normally used during these procedures.
How will I feel emotionally after a molar pregnancy?
Although the removal of a molar pregnancy is not the termination of a developing child, it is still a loss. Even when an embryo is present, it does not have the opportunity to develop into a child. Most women discover that they are dealing with a molar pregnancy after the discovery and anticipation of being pregnant. Dreams, plans, and hopes are canceled all at once; it is still a significant loss.
What is partial mole?
Partial Mole occurs when the mass contains both the abnormal cells and an embryo that has severe birth defects. In this case, the fetus will be overcome by the growing abnormal mass rather quickly.
Why is there no baby in my placenta?
Because the egg is empty, no baby is formed. The placenta grows and produces the pregnancy hormone, hCG. Unfortunately, an ultrasound will show that there is no fetus, only a placenta.
What makes this type of loss further different from a normal miscarriage?
What makes this type of loss further different from a “ normal miscarriage ” or loss is the continued concern of the mother’s health. Make sure that you stick with your follow-up appointments.
What is a partial molar pregnancy?
There are two types of molar pregnancy -- partial and complete. A partial one is when both the placenta and embryo (fertilized egg) are abnormal. In a complete molar pregnancy, there’s an abnormal placenta, but no embryo.
How do you know if you have a molar pregnancy?
Your doctor may find out when they do an ultrasound test. This is the device that uses sound waves to look inside your uterus. They may also detect a problem through a blood test. When you’re pregnant, levels of the hormone HCG ( human chorionic gonadotropin) increase. If you have a molar pregnancy, your HCG level is often much higher than it should be.
How long after molar pregnancy can you conceive?
After a molar pregnancy, your doctor might recommend that you don’t conceive for 1 year. Pregnancy increases HCG levels, so it would be hard for them to know whether the rise in hormones is due to that, abnormal tissue that’s still in your body, or choriocarcinoma. Pagination. 1. 2.
What happens if you have a positive pregnancy test?
A positive pregnancy test is often followed by the joy of a newborn baby 9 months later. But there are times when pregnancy ends in a loss. A molar pregnancy is one of those. During a healthy pregnancy, the placenta grows inside your uterus. It nourishes your baby through the umbilical cord.
What happens if you don't want to get pregnant again?
If you don’t want to get pregnant again, then you may consider a total hysterectomy. That’s surgery to remove your uterus. In rare cases, a complete molar pregnancy can lead to a condition called persistent gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD).
Why do human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes?
It’s due to problems with the fertilized egg. Normal human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes -- one set from the mother and the other from the father. These structures carry information that tells the body’s cells what to do. In a molar pregnancy, there’s an extra set of chromosomes that comes from the father.
Can you get pregnant with a molar pregnancy?
The only way to be certain you won’t have a molar pregnancy is not to get pregnant. If you’ve had a molar pregnancy in the past, talk to your doctor. Ask them about the chances of it happening again. And find out how you’ll be monitored if you do get pregnant.
How many weeks is a molar pregnancy?
The “17 weeks” date is simply the calendar date for the pregnancy (in other words, about 17 weeks since the last menstrual period). This is a very common time to discover a molar pregnancy since it can masquerade as normal pregnancy for a while. Often, a routine exam at this time, failing to find a heartbeat, will prompt an ultrasound that gives the diagnosis. On ultrasound, a molar pregnancy consists primarily of abnormal placental tissue shaped like clusters of grapes, and the diagnosis is then clear.
Why do women have no baby?
Because that tissue produces the same hormonal signals as a pregnancy, a woman and her doctor may have no clue for some time that there will be no baby. Molar pregnancies result from abnormal fertilization. Several sorts of abnormalities can occur, but none produce a viable fetus.
Can you get pregnant with molar cancer?
Blood levels of the hormones associated with pregnancy are checked regularly, and patients are told to avoid getting pregnant for a period of time. Both normal pregnancy and a persistent molar pregnancy or cancer would produce the same hormone, so pregnancy is best avoided until the time of danger is past. After that, she should be able to get pregnant without any unusual risk to her baby.
Does Molar Pregnancy Count As Gravida?
Molar pregnancy is counted as gravida, because gravida is the number of times a woman gets pregnant even if there is an unviable pregnancy.
Obstetric History
Pregnancy is a sea of exciting feeling through which the women swim. But at times, it poses certain dangers to both mother and the fetus. The risk can be partially countered by knowing the obstetric history of the patient. It is an important tool for analyzing the previous condition and status of women related to pregnancy.
Various Systems For Depicting Obstetric History
Various systems are adopted for depicting the obstetric history of the patients regarding the pregnancy. These are: