Hydatidiform mole

Hydatidiform moles are usually caused by abnormal fertilization of an egg. In some cases, the egg is has no genetic information. When it is fertilized by the sperm, it is missing half of the instructions it needs to grow and develop normally. Without these genetic instructions, the baby cannot develop. In other cases, two sperm fertilize the egg. This results in too much genetic information. These extra instructions cause problems with the growth and development of the baby. Ask your doctor to find out more about how a baby develops. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

The egg and sperm carry genetic information that will provide instructions for how the baby will grow and develop. This information also determines what a baby will look like and whether it is male or female. All of this information is stored in structures called chromosomes. Most cells in the body contain 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs. The egg and sperm each have 23 chromosomes. The egg and sperm combine during fertilization to make a complete set of 46 chromosomes. If there are too many or not enough chromosomes, it will affect how a baby grows and develops. Ask your doctor if you have questions about fertilization. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Most of the time, women do not have more than one hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy). However, sometimes a woman can have more than one. Mutations in the NLRP7 and KHDC3L genes can increase the chance of having more than one molar pregnancy (recurrent molar pregnancy). 1-6% of women with a previous molar pregnancy will have more. The NLRP7 mutation is the most common cause of recurrent hydatidiform moles. Talk to a genetic counselor to learn more about how these genes work. To find a genetic counselor near you, visit the Find a Genetic Counselor tool on the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Hydatidiform moles are treated by doctors called obstetrician and gynecologists. They specialize in treating pregnancy and problems with women’s reproductive organs. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Hydatidiform moles are usually treated by a type of doctor called an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB/GYN). Usually, a surgical procedure called a dilation and curettage (D&C) will be recommended. In a D&C, the tissue lining the uterus is removed through the vagina. The mole is embedded in this tissue and is also removed. This procedure does not damage the uterus. A woman can still have children if they have had this procedure. Rarely, a hysterectomy may need to be performed. In a hysterectomy, the entire uterus is removed. After surgery, the pregnancy hormone called hCG is measured several times. The level of hCG is high when there is a molar pregnancy. When this level goes back to normal, no more treatment is needed. Sometimes the hCG level does not return to normal. This is called persistent disease. Additional testing may be needed to make sure that it has not developed into a type of cancer called choriocarcinoma. Chemotherapy drugs may be needed to treat persistent disease. If the mole has developed into cancer, then multiple chemotherapies may be needed. A woman should wait 6-12 months to become pregnant again after a molar pregnancy has been removed. The hydatidiform mole may occur again if pregnancy occurs too soon after removal. Talk to your doctor about what treatment is best for you. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Implantation occurs after the sperm fertilizes the egg. The fertilized egg, or zygote, will then attach, or implant, itself to the lining of the uterus. This is where it will continue its growth and development. Ask your doctor to find out more about how a baby develops. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

A hydatidiform mole is a pregnancy that starts with the wrong amount of genetic information (chromosomes). It is also called a molar pregnancy. Our genetic information holds the instructions for the body to grow and develop normally. The genetic information is packaged into structures called chromosomes. In humans, most cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, or 46 total chromosomes. The two types of molar pregnancies are called complete and partial.
In pregnancy, an egg is fertilized by the sperm. Usually, the egg and sperm each provide half of the chromosomes. In a complete molar pregnancy, the egg is missing its chromosomes. The missing information is replaced by either making a second copy of the chromosomes from the sperm or being fertilized by two sperm. The resulting pregnancy doesn’t have any genetic information from the mother, only the father. Without genetic information from the mother, a baby cannot develop. The fertilized egg grows into a mass of tissue that implants in the uterus. On ultrasound this mass looks like a cluster of grapes. There are no signs of a fetus. The growth of the mass is considered a type of tumor that is usually not cancerous. It is called gestational trophoblastic disease. However, without treatment and complete removal, it can become cancerous. This happens about 15-20% of the time.
Partial molar pregnancies usually happen when an egg is fertilized by two sperm. It can also happen when an egg is fertilized by one sperm that duplicates its genetic information. This results in a pregnancy that has too many sets of chromosomes. It can’t develop normally due to the extra information. On ultrasound the placenta looks like a cluster of grapes and there is a fetus developing. The fetus has many growth problems and birth defects. The fetus typically dies within a few weeks of conception. Partial molar pregnancies have a small chance of becoming cancer, but this is uncommon.

Signs of a molar pregnancy include:

Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is a surgical procedure. It can be used to end pregnancies, remove tissue following a miscarriage, or remove uterine tissue to treat different conditions. During this procedure, the cervix is opened, or dilated. The cervix is the opening to the uterus located at the back of the vagina. After dilation, a small instrument is inserted into the uterus through the cervix to remove tissue. This instrument is called a curette. It is used to scrape the tissue lining the uterus. Removal of this tissue does not damage the uterus. A woman having this procedure can still have children in the future. Talk to your doctor to learn more about this procedure. It is usually performed by a type of doctor called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Our genetic information (chromosomes) holds the instructions for the body to grow and develop normally. We get half of our information from our mothers and half from our fathers. The egg is the reproductive cell that holds the mother’s genetic information. The sperm is the reproductive cell that holds the father’s genetic information. During fertilization, the egg and sperm cells join together. They combine the genetic information into one cell called a zygote. This zygote has all of the instructions needed for a baby to grow and develop. Ask your doctor if you have questions about fertilization. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

After fertilization, the pregnancy will begin to develop. The fertilized cell will make copies of itself. Some of these cells will develop into the baby. Others will form the placenta and other membranes that help support and provide nutrients to the developing baby. The cells that form the placenta are called trophoblast cells. Ask your doctor to find out more about how a baby develops. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

After surgery, the pregnancy hormone called hCG is measured several times. The level of hCG is high when there is a molar pregnancy. When this level goes back to normal, no more treatment is needed. Sometimes the hCG level does not return to normal. This is called persistent disease. Additional testing may be needed to make sure that it has not developed into a type of cancer called choriocarcinoma. Talk to your doctor about your options for treatment. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Your doctor may perform a pelvic exam to examine the size of the uterus. The uterus may be bigger or smaller than expected with a molar pregnancy. This exam may also show signs of vaginal bleeding. Vaginal bleeding is one symptom of hydatidiform mole. An ultrasound may also be performed. In molar pregnancies, the placenta looks abnormal. It may look like a cluster of grapes on ultrasound. Sometimes a fetus (baby) is present and sometimes it is not. If a fetus is present, it may have birth defects or be smaller than it should be. Your doctor may also draw blood to check your hCG levels. hCG is a pregnancy hormone. It is present in early pregnancy. However, in molar pregnancies, the hCG level is much higher than normal. Talk to your doctor if you have are concerned about molar pregnancy. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

A hydatidiform mole is a pregnancy that starts with the wrong amount of genetic information (chromosomes). It is also called a molar pregnancy. Our genetic information holds the instructions for the body to grow and develop normally. The genetic information is packaged into structures called chromosomes. In humans, most cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, or 46 total chromosomes. The two types of molar pregnancies are called complete and partial.
In pregnancy, an egg is fertilized by the sperm. Usually, the egg and sperm each provide half of the chromosomes. In a complete molar pregnancy, the egg is missing its chromosomes. The missing information is replaced by either making a second copy of the chromosomes from the sperm or being fertilized by two sperm. The resulting pregnancy doesn’t have any genetic information from the mother, only the father. Without genetic information from the mother, a baby cannot develop. The fertilized egg grows into a mass of tissue that implants in the uterus. On ultrasound this mass looks like a cluster of grapes. There are no signs of a fetus. The growth of the mass is considered a type of tumor that is usually not cancerous. It is called gestational trophoblastic disease. However, without treatment and complete removal, it can become cancerous. This happens about 15-20% of the time.
Partial molar pregnancies usually happen when an egg is fertilized by two sperm. It can also happen when an egg is fertilized by one sperm that duplicates its genetic information. This results in a pregnancy that has too many sets of chromosomes. It can’t develop normally due to the extra information. On ultrasound the placenta looks like a cluster of grapes and there is a fetus developing. The fetus has many growth problems and birth defects. The fetus typically dies within a few weeks of conception. Partial molar pregnancies have a small chance of becoming cancer, but this is uncommon.

Hydatidiform moles happen randomly. They occur due to problems with the fertilization process. The exact cause is unknown. A parent cannot do anything that would cause one to occur. There is also nothing that can be done to prevent them from happening. Talk to your doctor to find out more about what causes hydatidiform moles. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Symptoms of a hydatidiform mole, or a molar pregnancy include:

The incidence of hydatidiform moles is much higher in women of Eastern Asia, affecting 1 in every 250 pregnancies. The cause of this increase in incidence is unknown. They are also more common in women younger than age 17 and women older than age 35. Talk to your doctor about your risks. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Most hydatidiform moles are sporadic. This means they occur once in a woman’s life. They occur at random. Sometimes, a woman has recurrent hydatidiform moles. Reccurent moles occur in 1-6% of cases. Talk to your doctor about your risks. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

There are two genes that have been linked to recurrent hydatidiform mole. They are called KHDC3L and NLRP7. Testing is available for both of these genes. These tests look at the genes to see if there are any changes (mutations) that would stop the genes from working correctly. You can find information on available genetic tests at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/. A genetic counselor an also help to arrange testing and explain the results. To find a genetic counselor near you, visit the Find a Genetic Counselor tool on the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Most of the time, women do not have more than one hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy). However, sometimes a woman can have more than one. Mutations in the NLRP7 and KHDC3L genes can increase the chance of having more than one molar pregnancy (recurrent molar pregnancy). NLRP7 and KHDC3L are responsible for turning certain genes off during development. Mutations in NLRP7 and KHDC3L can cause them to be unable to do this. Due to this impaired function, many genes that are normally "turned off" during development are active. This results in abnormal development of the embryo, which causes an increased chance to have a molar pregnancy. Talk to a genetic counselor to learn more about how these genes work. To find a genetic counselor near you, visit the Find a Genetic Counselor tool on the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Hydatidiform moles occur in about 1 in 600 to 1,000 pregnancies in the United States. They are up to 10 times more common in Asian countries. The reason is unknown. Talk to your doctor to find out more. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

In rare cases, a partial molar pregnancy can continue. However, these are considered extremely high-risk pregnancies. Women who continue these pregnancies are at increased risks for problems. These problems include: bleeding, blood pressure problems, miscarriage or early delivery. In most cases, the pregnancy will not survive to delivery. In very rare cases, a live birth may occur. However, these infants die shortly after birth. It is important to discuss these risks with your doctor carefully. Talk to your doctor about your options for treatment. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Most hydatidiform moles are sporadic. This means they occur once in a woman’s life. They occur at random. There is nothing that can be done to prevent them from happening. They are not caused by anything the mother does during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor to find out more about the cause of molar pregnancy. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

In most cases, hydatidiform moles are growths that are successfully treated. They are treated by removing the tissue mass (mole). Sometimes hydatidiform moles can grow deep into the uterine wall and develop into cancer. Sometimes a piece of the mole is left behind after removal. This piece can continue to grow and develop into cancer. The cancer may be low risk or slow growing. It can be treated with removal and chemotherapy (cancer drugs). In rare cases, a hydatidiform mole can grow into a fast-growing cancer type of cancer called choriocarcinoma. Choriocarcinoma may spread if not treated. It can also return after being treated. Talk to your doctor about the risks of cancer related to molar pregnancy. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Some people with hydatidiform mole may want to join a pregnancy loss support group such as Share. Others may prefer a support group that is specific to molar pregnancy such as https://mymolarpregnancy.com/. Individuals who have developed cancer after having a molar pregnancy may need support that is specific to cancer survival. Cancer support resources can be found at The Foundation for Womens Cancer website

Hydatiditiform moles are also called:

Most of the time, women do not have more than one hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy). However, sometimes a woman can have more than one. When a woman has multiple molar pregnancies, it is called recurrent hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy). Recurrent molar pregnancy has been linked to mutations in two different genes. These genes are called NLRP7 and KHDC3L. Both of these genes are involved with turning off other genes when they are not needed. This is how the body makes sure that the correct genes and proteins are expressed during development. When NLRP7 and KHDC3L are not working correctly, they cannot turn the other genes on and off at the correct times. This results in the wrong amount of genetic information being expressed. The pregnancy cannot grow and develop correctly due to having the wrong amount of genetic information. Talk to a genetic counselor to learn more about the genes involved in recurrent molar pregnancy. Genetic counselors assist in understanding genetic information. To find a genetic counselor near you, visit the Find a Genetic Counselor tool on the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

There are two types of molar pregnancies: complete and partial. A hydatidiform mole or molar pregnancy is a pregnancy that begins with the wrong amount of genetic information from the time the egg and sperm come together. In humans, most cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, or 46 total chromosomes. The chromosomes carry important genetic information needed for the body to grow and develop normally.

Complete molar pregnancies happen when the egg is missing its chromosomes and it "makes up" for that loss by either doubling the chromosomes from the sperm or being fertilized by two sperm. The resulting pregnancy doesn’t have any genetic information from the mother, only the father. This results in the growth of a large mass of tissue implanting and growing in the uterus. On ultrasound this mass looks like a cluster of grapes without any sign of a fetus.

Partial molar pregnancies usually happen when an egg is fertilized by two sperm or by one sperm which duplicates its genetic information. This results in a pregnancy that has too many sets of chromosomes and can’t develop normally. On ultrasound this placenta looks like a cluster of grapes and there is a fetus developing (usually with many growth problems and birth defects).

Ask your doctor to find out more about the different types of molar pregnancies. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

Symptoms of a hydatidiform mole can look similar to other conditions. Heat intolerance, restlessness, and weight loss can be seen in both molar pregnancy and hyperthyroidism. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can occur in pregnancy. Symptoms of preeclampsia include high blood pressure and swelling in the feet and legs. It can lead to death of the mother and baby if not treated quickly. The symptoms of preeclampsia, like high blood pressure and swelling, can also be see in hydatidiform mole. However, the symptoms of molar pregnancy are usually seen in early pregnancy. Preeclampsia does not usually occur so early. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Your doctor may need to do an exam or blood work. The type of doctor who manages pregnancy is called an obstetrician. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.

As of June 3, 2016, there were 6 clinical research trials being conducted on hydatidiform moles. These studies are looking at things like treatments and genetic causes of molar pregnancy. If you are interested in participating in clinical research visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search for "hydatidiform moles." Talk to your doctor to see if a research study is right for you.

Most hydatidiform moles are sporadic. This means they occur once in a woman’s life. They occur at random. Sporadic disorders are not usually passed down from one generation to the next (heritable). Sometimes, a woman has recurrent hydatidiform moles. Recurrent moles occur due to a genetic change. Genetic changes, or mutations, can be passed on to future generations. The mutations in recurrent hydatidiform mole are passed on in an autosomal recessive pattern. We have two copies of every gene. We get one copy from our mom and one from our dad. In recessive disorders, both copies of the gene involved in the disorder have mutations. People with one mutated copy are called carriers. Carriers are not affected. Both parents have to be carriers of a recessive disorder to have an affected child. If both parents are carriers, they have a 25% chance to have an affected child. Women who are affected with recurrent hydatidiform mole usually cannot have a normal pregnancy. There are two genes that have been linked to this disorder. They are NLRP7 and KHDC3L. Mutations in either one of these genes can cause recurrent hydatidiform mole. Talk to a genetic counselor to find out more about the genetics of molar pregnancy. A genetic counselor can explain how disorders are passed on in families and what the risk is to other family members. To find a genetic counselor near you, visit the Find a Genetic Counselor tool on the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.

Women should wait 6-12 months after treatment for a hydatidiform mole before trying to become pregnant again. This allows time for testing on the tissue that was removed. This also allows time to make sure there is no remaining tissue that could turn into cancer. The molar pregnancy could recur if pregnancy occurs too soon after treatment. Talk to your doctor to determine the best time to attempt another pregnancy. To find an obstetrician near you, use the Find an OB-Gyn tool on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website.