Molar Pregnancy - How and why it happens
A molar pregnancy refers to a woman who is pregnant with a type of gestational trophoblastic disease. There are two types of a molar pregnancy, either a complete or a partial mole. There possibilities of this happening throughout both the United States and Europe is about one in one thousand and one in two thousand pregnancies. It seems to be much more common of this happening in places such as Southeast Asia and Mexico.
Nobody is really certain on the reasons why a molar pregnancy happens. It is possible that a problem with health such as a nutritional deficit such as protein or carotene is a possibility or also because of an ovulation defect.
A molar pregnancy which is a complete mole is when the nucleus of an egg gets lost or is inactivated. When this occurs, the sperm duplicates itself because the egg did not have enough genetic information. Because of this, there is no fetus, no placenta, no amniotic membranes and no fluid. The uterus becomes filled with the mole that is similar to the resemblance of grapes. These vesicles grow rapidly which can make the uterus seem much larger than it should be for the gestational age. Because there is not a placenta that can receive the blood, there is sometimes bleeding into the uterine cavity or even vaginal bleeding.
A molar pregnancy which is a partial mole occurs when two sperm fertilize the same egg. There is a possibility for partial placentas, partial membranes or even a fetus present in the same partial. However, when this occurs, there are usually genetic problems with the baby. It is rare that a partial mole will exist with someone is pregnant with twins, however, the other twin usually does not survive.
The symptoms associated with a molar pregnancy include increased vomiting and nausea, vaginal bleeding, rapidly growing uterus, increased hCG levels, hypertension prior to 24 weeks, no fetal movement or heart tone detected, hyperthyroidism and pulmonary embolization.
How can it be diagnosed? Most of the time it will end spontaneously. If a woman passes tissues that appear to be grape like, a molar pregnancy can be suspected. An ultrasound can also help to detect a molar pregnancy. If it has not ended on its own, a D&C is usually required to evacuate the mole from the uterus. Women who are trying to get pregnant should avoid it for at least one year after a molar pregnancy.