What is a molar pregnancy? A molar pregnancy occurs when an egg and sperm join incorrectly at fertilization and a noncancerous tumor forms instead of a healthy placenta. The tumor, or mole, cannot support a developing embryo, and the pregnancy ends. It is also called a hydatidiform mole.
Is a complete molar pregnancy cancer?
Most molar pregnancies are mostly benign (not cancerous). They are rare but they are the most common type of gestational trophoblastic tumour.
What increases your risk of molar pregnancy?
The cause of molar pregnancy is unknown, but risk factors include: maternal age of less than 20 or more than 40 years. race – Asian women are at increased risk. dietary deficiencies including lack of folate, beta-carotene or protein.
Can a baby survive a molar pregnancy?
A molar pregnancy can be either complete or partial. In a complete molar pregnancy, the fetus does not develop at all. It usually occurs when an egg that does not contain any genetic information is fertilised by a sperm. In a partial molar pregnancy, a fetus can develop but it will be abnormal and cannot survive.
How long can molar pregnancy last?
These droplets appear to burrow into the wall of the uterus, hence the name mole. In a complete molar pregnancy, the growth stops a fetus from developing. In a partial molar pregnancy, a fetus develops but it will be abnormal and cannot survive. At most, the fetus might survive for around three months.
What does molar pregnancy look like on ultrasound?
The presence of the molar tissue is then detected. Ultrasound scanning shows a honeycomb pattern produced by the numerous vesicles. As they enlarge the image is described to look like a snowstorm, which is due to swollen cysts with bleeding into the uterus. The ovaries are often seen to contain large cysts.
What kind of cancer is molar pregnancy?
It sometimes can cause a rare form of cancer. A molar pregnancy is a kind of gestational trophoblastic disease (also called GTD). This is a group of conditions that cause tumors to grow in the uterus.
How often does a molar pregnancy turn into cancer?
Fewer than 15% of molar pregnancies become invasive and spread outside of the uterus. Choriocarcinoma. This is a cancerous tumor formed from trophoblast cells. It can grow and spread more quickly than other GTNs.
How does a molar pregnancy become cancerous?
The cancer may also occur after a normal pregnancy. But it most often occurs with a complete hydatidiform mole. This is a growth that forms inside the womb at the beginning of a pregnancy. The abnormal tissue from the mole can continue to grow even after attempted removal, and can become cancerous.
Is a molar pregnancy a miscarriage?
Some molar pregnancies will miscarry without intervention, but if doctors detect molar pregnancy by ultrasound, they usually recommend a D&C or medication in order to reduce the risk of further complications. Surgery can usually remove most complete and partial moles.
Can a molar pregnancy be detected at 6 weeks?
An ultrasound can detect a complete molar pregnancy as early as eight or nine weeks of pregnancy. The ultrasound may show these signs of a complete molar pregnancy: No embryo or fetus.