WHAT IS MOLAR PREGNANCY?

Molar pregnancy It occurs in one in 1,500 pregnant women and is the result of an abnormal fertilization of the ovule that produces deformed growth of the placenta. The cause is a series of chromosomal abnormalities that prevent the embryo from developing properly.

The placenta grows abnormally and becomes a mass of cysts filled with fluid also called hydatidiform mole, is a mass of tissue in the form of a bunch of grapes or snowflakes.

There are two kinds of molar pregnancy. It can be incomplete or complete. The first occurs more frequently and occurs when an embryo is formed that does not develop, while the second occurs when an abnormal placenta develops and no fetus develops. In both cases the embryo does not survive.

The traumatic thing about molar pregnancy is that at the beginning the symptoms are the same as those of a normal pregnancy. That is, the pregnancy test is positive and all the signs confirm the presence of a pregnancy. During the first weeks a molar pregnancy is not different from a normal pregnancy, an embryo with a heart beating in the incomplete molar pregnancy can even be seen on an ultrasound of the first weeks. It is only when performing a subsequent ultrasound when it is detected that something is wrong and that what should look like an embryo has an abnormal appearance.

In Babies and more The pregnancy test has been positive. What do I do now?

Let's get to know what may be the most common symptoms of a molar pregnancy:

• Intermittent losses of brownish color.
• Nausea and vomiting (more than in a normal pregnancy).
• Excess salivation
• Hemorrhage or vaginal bleeding.
• Increased levels of hCG (human chorionic gonodotropin hormone)
• Excessive growth of the uterus that does not correspond to the weeks of gestation
• Increase in blood pressure

As we said before, in no case a molar pregnancy survives since the embryo does not develop properly.

In most cases there is a miscarriage accompanied by dark and watery hemorrhages, although it is usually not accompanied by pain.

If this does not happen, the molar tissue inside the uterus is removed through curettage. During the following months the levels of the human gonadotropin hormone (the pregnancy hormone) are controlled until it normalizes its levels and the uterus is controlled preventively because one of the complications of the molar pregnancy is that a choriocarcinoma can form, a malignant tumor but with a high cure rate.

In Babies and more Blood loss in the first trimester of pregnancy

Women who suffer a molar pregnancy live a terrible experience. Bewilderment, tests, studies and the concern about whether they will be able to get pregnant again in the future, added in some cases, to the lack of sensitivity of professionals to these types of issues.

The general recommendation is to wait a year to return to look for a new pregnancy. A year that goes wrong, but should not be discouraged. The probability of a molar pregnancy recurring in subsequent pregnancies is remote., between 1 and 2%, so almost all women who have suffered a molar pregnancy have then managed to get pregnant and have a baby. In the case of repetitions, it would be appropriate to seek genetic advice.

Some studies suggest that molar pregnancies could be related to a low-protein diet that could cause ovulation defects. That is why they recommend increasing the consumption of animal proteins and vitamin A to minimize the chances of suffering a pregnancy of this type.