Hydatidiform mole: (Molar pregnancy)

This is a very rare condition that starts off like a normal pregnancy. But then, at about 10 weeks or so, irregular vaginal bleeding occurs, which may even be heavy and cause anemia. Profuse vomiting and severe nausea are also common symptoms. When the doctor examines you, the uterus, as well as the ovaries, may seem overly large.

Another indication of molar pregnancy is the high level of HCG (pregnancy hormone), and sonography fortunately can confirm the diagnosis. The condition may be caused by chromosomal abnormalities of the egg or sperm. It is a benign tumor that is more common in women near the age of 40. Occasionally, little pieces of tissue resembling grapes may be passed vaginally.

Bleeding may be your first sign, but it may not start until quite late, even beyond the 16th week of pregnancy. It is usually very dark and has been described as prune colored. The condition may have been discovered prior to that if you had had an ultrasound scan, which would show a typical appearance in the uterus.

The placental tissue grows inordinately fast, producing a mass of cysts, like a bunch of grapes. The rapid growth of the placenta will raise your hormone levels beyond what is normal, leading to excessive vomiting and, maybe, high blood pressure.
Although the mole would eventually miscarry spontaneously, a D&C is recommended to ensure that all the tissue from the molar pregnancy is removed from the uterus. Even less likely is the chance that this condition can become cancerous. The choriocarcinoma, as it is then called, affects only about 10 percent of molar pregnancies and is completely curable.

Because of the risks involved, if you have been diagnosed as having a hydatidiform mole, your doctor will continue to follow your condition—mainly by blood tests—for up to a year after the D&C. Women are usually advised to wait from one to two years, following a molar pregnancy, before trying to conceive again. About a year is considered a safe time lag if the blood test results continue to prove normal.

A diagnosis of molar pregnancy can be very scary. Not only do you have to undergo a strange, and hardly talked about, form of miscarriage, but it carries with it the remote risk of cancer. There is also the slight risk of a molar pregnancy recurring, so the next time around your doctor will monitor your pregnancy very carefully in the early weeks. Remember though that this is a rare condition.