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Home › Articles › Conditions Affecting Conception and Pregnancy › What Is a Molar Pregnancy?

What Is a Molar Pregnancy?

Just the Facts

By Carol Sjostrom Miller

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When Melissa Hiltbrand of Ammon, Idaho, discovered she was pregnant in 1998, her first reaction was one of surprise. "This was an unplanned pregnancy," she says. "But once the initial shock wore off, my husband and I were thrilled to be expecting our first baby."

Like all expectant moms, Hiltbrand started planning and dreaming of the day she would hold her baby in her arms, but her pregnancy was difficult from the beginning. "For 16 weeks, I had extreme morning sickness and fatigue, as well as consistent spotting," she says. These symptoms concerned her doctor, who ordered an ultrasound to find out what was wrong. When Hiltbrand received the results, they were more shocking than finding out she was pregnant. The diagnosis was a hydatidiform mole, also known as a molar pregnancy.

What Is It?

"Molar pregnancy is a very confusing and complicated disease," says Dr. Naomi E. Stotland, an OB/GYN at the University of California, San Francisco. "If you receive this diagnosis, make sure your doctor spends a good deal of time explaining it to you and answering your questions."

There are actually two types of molar pregnancies: complete and partial. In a complete molar pregnancy, there is no fetus, only an abnormal placenta that is large and swollen. "Partial molar pregnancies can occur where a fetus will form," Dr. Stotland says. "But the fetus is usually abnormal and dies early in the pregnancy." It is estimated that, in the United States, molar pregnancy occurs in one of every 1,000 to 1,500 pregnancies.


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Molar Pregnancy by Anonymous on 03/10/2010 06:31PM

i am 12 weeks pregant and i have a complet molar pregnancy with twins but only have one fetis. this is scarey because i bleed all the time and my doctor said if i want to keep the baby i need to go in the hospital on may 1 when i am 20 weeks so they can watch me. i have to see a cancer doctor after i have the baby or if i have a miscarraige. i just wanted to knwo if any other people have a complet molar with twin and had the baby with no problems with the baby when he or she was born. you can e-mail me at jessicarjackson2000@yahoo.com

Molar Pregnancy by Miranda on 01/31/2010 07:57PM

i have justc resently (2 days ago) had a molar pregnancy! it is truly the scariest thing ever! i had never been prergnant before (im 16) and was in a way looking forward to having a child! I was having alot of spotting and bleeding when i called the doctor. We went to have an ultrasound. As soon as they realized that i had a molar pregnancy they immediatly took action! I found this out at about 10 that morning and was going in for a D&C by 3 that afternoon! People need to know about these kind of things because you never know if it could happen to you or not! Before friday i had absolutly no idea what a molar pregnancy was!!

Re: What Is a Molar Pregnancy? by anonymous on 12/13/2008 01:59AM

I had a molar pregnancy in 1976. It started with some dark spotting in my fourth month. I immediately called my doctor, and he said he didn't need to see me, that spotting was quite normal and not to worry unless the flow increased or the blood became bright red. Well, both of those things happened in the middle of that night, and I miscarried most of the molar pregnancy at home and finished it up in the emergency room. Two days later I was back in the doctor's office. He ordered an ultrasound and a blood test and FINALLY realized what was really going on. I ended up having a D&C a few days later and was told not to try to get pregnant again for a year. So I waited. I now have two healthy sons, ages 26 and 29. My 29-year-old and I nearly died in my 8th month due to undiagnosed pre-eclampsia. (Yes, it was the same doctor -- and no, he didn't get another shot after that). I found out afterwards that eclampsia is more common in those who've experienced molar pregnancies. At least that was the way it was in 1979. Just in case it's still true today, I think that's an important piece of info to add here.

Re: What Is a Molar Pregnancy? by miranda on 11/14/2008 12:56AM

I had a molar pregnant about five years ago. Was devastating. But it didn't help that I hadn't even heard of a molar pregnancy before. Thank you for educating other woman about it. You can never know too much before, during and after pregnancy.

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