Molar Pregnancy: Types, Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

What exactly is molar pregnancy and how does it happen? We give you all the details in this post. While an uncommon condition, molar pregnancy needs immediate medical care and attention. That’s why it’s is important for you to understand this condition properly, and consult your doctor immediately after noticing its symptoms. Keep reading to learn more about this condition.

Molar Pregnancy Meaning

When an egg and sperm combine improperly during fertilisation, a non-cancerous tumour develops in place of a healthy placenta. This condition is known as a “molar pregnancy.” The pregnancy is terminated because the mole or tumour is unable to nourish a growing embryo. Another name for it is a hydatidiform mole. In other words, molar pregnancy is a type of gestational trophoblastic illness in which the uterus develops a tumour. The tumour manifests as clusters of fluid-filled cysts that resemble grapes.

Causes Of Molar Pregnancy

When specific genetic mistakes occur during the fertilisation of an egg by a sperm, it leads to molar pregnancy. A placenta develops during a healthy pregnancy to feed the developing embryo. But with a molar pregnancy, the uterus produces a tumour rather than a placenta. A molar pregnancy hardly ever evolvesinto a growing embryo.

Sometimes cells that remain in the uterus after a miscarriage, a successful pregnancy, or an ectopic pregnancy lead to the development of molar pregnancies. A fertilised egg implants outside the uterus during an ectopic pregnancy.

Molar Pregnancy Symptoms

The following are the most typical molar pregnancy symptoms: 

• Vaginal bleeding within the first three months of pregnancy
• Severe nausea and vomiting
• Preeclampsia 
• High HCG levels
• Increase in abdominal size 
• No foetal movement
• Grape-like cysts coming out of the vagina

How To Prevent Molar Pregnancy

It is impossible to prevent molar pregnancy. If you’ve previously experienced a molar pregnancy, delaying getting pregnant for a year after your first pregnancy can lower your risk of difficulties. In order to be sure that there is no sign of a recurrence of molar pregnancy, your doctor will check your HCG levels once a month for up to a year.

Molar Pregnancy Treatment

An ultrasound of your uterus helps your doctor determine whether you are pregnant with molars. An ultrasound creates images of your uterus using sound waves. To check your HCG levels, your doctor may also advise blood testing.

However, the majority of molar pregnancies spontaneously terminate on their own. In these situations, grape-shaped cysts naturally exit the uterus through the vagina. Some women need medical attention to get their molar pregnancies out. To treat, the uterus is dilated and all aberrant tissue is removed using curettage (the removal of tissue with a tool) and suction.

A molar pregnancy may occasionally require a hysterectomy, or the surgical removal of the entire uterus.

Takeaway

The majority of women who receive therapy for a molar pregnancy don’t experience any other issues in the future. After a molar pregnancy, women can typically continue to have healthy pregnancies. Your chance of miscarriage does not rise if you are pregnant with molars. So, consult your doctor right away if you are pregnant and witnessing bleeding from your vagina, extreme nausea and vomiting, or the passing of grape-shaped cysts from your vagina. To avoid problems, prompt diagnosis and care are essential. Also, if you want to know about

FAQs

What is the main cause of molar pregnancy?

A mis-fertilised egg is the cause of a molar pregnancy. There are typically 23 pairs of chromosomes in human cells. Each pair of chromosomes contains one from the mother and one from the father.

What are the symptoms of molar pregnancy?

Dark brown to bright red vaginal bleeding during the first trimester, severe nausea and vomiting. 

How serious is a molar pregnancy?

Early treatment is necessary for molar pregnancies since they can have dangerous side effects, including a rare form of cancer.

When do molar pregnancy symptoms start?

Some women pass molar tissue shreds, which can resemble little clusters of grapes. In a molar pregnancy, bleeding often starts between weeks 6 and 12 of pregnancy. 

Also read:

Pregnancy symptoms: Missed tour period? These are some of the common pregnancy signs you should watch out for. 

Ovulation calculator: Discover your most fertile days with this efficient ovulation calculator from BabyChakra.

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