Molar pregnancies - also known as gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD - are a very rare but serious complication that can occur early in pregnancy. It occurs in one out of every 1,000 to 1,200 pregnancies.
Both normal and molar pregnancies develop as a result of a fertilized egg. But in a molar pregnancy, the fertilized egg doesn't grow into a healthy baby; instead, abnormal cells grow and form into a mass of cells.| | Fact:
A majority of molar pregnancies, up to 87 percent, would have become girl babies. | | |
A molar pregnancy is basically a tumor that develops in your uterus, where a baby should be growing.
Two types of molar pregnancies exist: complete and partial.
In a complete molar pregnancy, the fertilized egg never develops into an embryo but it grows into a grape-like cluster of tissue. In a partial molar pregnancy, the placenta grows into the molar tissue (the tumor), and any fetus that develops will have severe defects and will die in the womb. In rare circumstances, a twin pregnancy has been found to have one normal, healthy baby and one complete mole twin.
Molar pregnancies are considered "accidents of nature" and no one's fault. They are not caused by lifestyle or behavior; however, they are more common in older mothers (over 35 years of age).
Signs that you may have a molar pregnancy include vaginal bleeding during your first trimester, the passing of tissue through your vagina, pelvic pressure or pain.
Most molar pregnancies are treated with surgery under general anesthetic. Monthly follow-up visits to the doctor are extremely important. These are to ensure that the mole has been completely removed from your body. If traces of the mole remain, they can grow into cancerous tumors that pose threat to other parts of your body. Another attempt at pregnancy should be avoided for at least a year after your molar pregnancy.
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