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Be aware that the following information describes a rare complication that some readers may find disturbing. You may choose to skip parts, or all of this section. |
The signs of a molar pregnancy
Health concerns with a molar pregnancy
Treatments for molar pregnancies
Emotional considerations
A molar pregnancy is known medically as a 'Hydatidiform Mole'. The word 'hydatidiform' derives from 'hydatid', meaning 'water-filled cysts'. Other terms used to describe a molar pregnancy are 'vesicular mole' or 'trophoblastic disease'. Molar pregnancies are very rare, resulting from the abnormal development of the placenta. A hydatidiform mole starts at the time the egg is fertilised, but at some stage during the pregnancy (usually in the first 3 to 4 months), part of the placenta (known as the 'chorionic villi', or 'trophoblast') starts producing fluid filled cysts, or vesicles that multiply rapidly. The vesicles can range in size from a pinhead to a small grape.
There are 2 types of molar pregnancies:
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A 'complete mole'. This is where a baby never develops, but the placenta implants and grows many small cysts, like sacs filled with fluid. |
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A 'partial mole'. This is where a baby starts to develop, but is unable to survive, and is often absorbed into the vesicles that continue to multiply. |
We do not know why molar pregnancies occur, and the incidence varies between different ethnicities. In Australia, a molar pregnancy can occur in 1:750 pregnancies (or 0.13%), in the US and Europe it can occur in about 1:1000 (0.1%) and in South East Asia it can be as high as 1:600 (or 0.16%). The chance of a molar pregnancy recurring in the same woman is about 1:80 (or 1.25%).
The signs of a molar pregnancy