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What Is a Molar Pregnancy?

Just the Facts

By Carol Sjostrom Miller

When a molar pregnancy is confirmed, the woman will quickly have a procedure called a dilation and curettage (D&C), "which is the removal of the abnormal tissue from the uterus using a suction tube," says Dr. Stotland. This was the case for Hiltbrand. "Two days after the diagnosis, I underwent a D&C," she says.

Although most women whose molar pregnancies are removed will require no further treatment, follow-up care after the D&C is extremely important. "It is very important that the woman gets her hormone levels checked regularly for at least a year and that she has regular doctor visits," advises Dr. Stotland. This is because there are several complications that, although rare, are very serious and require immediate diagnosis and treatment. These complications occur when abnormal cells remain in the body after the molar pregnancy has been removed. These cells, which can include invasive moles, says Dr. Stotland "are usually diagnosed when the hormone levels do not drop after the D&C," and can also include choriocarcinoma, which is a form of cancer. Both invasive moles and choriocarcinoma are treated with chemotherapy and "the prognosis is excellent with treatment," notes Dr. Stotland.

Hiltbrand's follow-up care was comprehensive and lasted for a year after her molar pregnancy. "My doctor ordered baseline chest x-rays to ensure that the tissue had not spread to the lungs," she recounts. "I then started weekly blood draws [to monitor my hCG levels]." Two weeks later, she had anoter ultrasound because her hCG was not dropping as expected. "Thankfully, the ultrasound revealed no remaining or spreading tissue," she says. "The hCG was just slow in dropping."

Want to see more?

• Out of Place: Ectopic Pregnancy
• Private Suffering: The Issue of DES Daughters
• In the Genes: Testing for Genetic Disorders
• Talk about it!

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