Molar Pregnancy Signs, Causes, and Treatment

A female becomes pregnant when a sperm fertilizes the egg. Sometimes, these stages get mixed up and may lead to an uncommon pregnancy. Molar pregnancy is a rare type of gestational trophoblastic disease. It occurs when an egg and sperm fuse incorrectly during fertilization and form a noncancerous tumour instead of a healthy placenta. The tumour cannot support a developing embryo, and the pregnancy terminates. It is also known as a hydatidiform or vesicular mole.

In common words, a tumour grows in the uterus and forms a fluid-filled cyst.

Types of Molar Pregnancy

The first one is complete molar pregnancy, and the other is a partial molar pregnancy.

In the complete molar pregnancy, the placental tissue forms a fluid-filled cyst. No fetus is present in this case.

Whereas, in partial molar pregnancy, two types of tissues, i.e., regular and irregular, both can be seen in the placenta. In this case, the fetus may be present but can't survive.

Molar pregnancy may lead to a rare type of cancer. Therefore, one needs early diagnosis and treatment.

Molar Pregnancy Symptoms

Usually, the molar pregnancy appears like a normal pregnancy at first. But the most common symptoms include-

• Darkish brown or bright red blood oozes out from the vagina within the first 3-4 months of pregnancy.

• Severe nausea and vomiting

• High BP and the presence of proteinuria before 20 weeks of pregnancy; the condition is also known as Preeclampsia.

• High HCG levels (Human chorionic gonadotropin)

• Pelvic pressure or pain

• Abnormal increase in the size of the abdomen

• No fetal heartbeat or movement

• Clusters of cells or grape-like cysts pass from the vagina

• Overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism

What Causes Molar Pregnancy?

In a healthy human cell, there are usually 23 chromosomal pairs. And in normal fertilization, a pair is made up of one chromosome of the father and the other chromosome of the mother.

In a complete molar pregnancy, an egg is fertilized by more than one sperm. The father’s chromosomes become duplicates. So, as a result, the mother's chromosomes get missing.

Whereas, in a partial molar pregnancy, two sperm fuses with one egg. As a result, one chromosome from the mother is present, but two chromosomes from the father are present in the embryo. Thus, the embryo has 69 chromosomes and not 46.

Risk factors in Molar Pregnancy

There are the following risk factors that may contribute to the development of molar pregnancy:

Mother’s age- Mothers of more than 43 or less than 15 years of age are more prone to molar pregnancy.

History of molar pregnancy- If women have a history of molar pregnancy, then she is likely to develop the second. However, the re-occurrence rate is 1: 100.

Diagnosis of Molar Pregnancy

If a healthcare provider suspects or identifies a molar pregnancy, they prescribe a blood test and ultrasound.

An ultrasound image of complete molar pregnancy might show the following features during 8-9 weeks of pregnancy-

• No fetus.

• Absence of amniotic-fluid

• Thick placenta in the form of cysts

• Ovarian cysts

In the ultrasound image of partial molar pregnancy, the following findings can be observed:

• A smaller unexpected fetus.

• Low levels of amniotic-fluid

• Unusual placenta

After the findings mentioned above of molar pregnancy, the healthcare provider investigates for additional medical conditions such as:

• Preeclampsia

• Hyperthyroidism (High levels of thyroid hormone in the blood)

• Anaemia

Treatment

• Usually, a molar pregnancy does not survive and terminates with a miscarriage.

• If this does not end on its own, then it is treated with the pregnancy removal procedure.

• Usually, general anaesthesia is given before starting the procedure to make you asleep.

• However, sometimes medications are given to terminate the molar pregnancy.

Follow up

A regular follow-up to check blood and urine test is needed to ensure a normal hCG level. If, at all, the hormone level does not come to normal, then further treatment is needed.

Support

It takes time to recover both physically and mentally after a molar pregnancy. It is challenging for a mother to lose a pregnancy. It takes time to recover both physically and mentally after a molar pregnancy. One should give sufficient time to recover. Discussions with your family and friends about your feelings will help you to overcome your grief. If you are facing difficulty in handling your emotions, consult your healthcare provider or a counsellor.

Preparing for your appointment

If you are pregnant and experiencing severe nausea and vomiting, vaginal bleeding, and oozing of grape-like cysts from your vagina, then contact your healthcare provider immediately. Early detection and treatment are required to prevent further complications. You can find more information on MyloFamily or can directly contact us.