About a molar pregnancy
A molar pregnancy happens when a problem occurs at the time of conception. It means a group of abnormal cells grow in your womb, instead of a healthy foetus.
The medical name for this growth is ‘hydatidiform mole’.
This growth can be either:
- a mass of abnormal cells in the womb and no fetus develops (complete mole)
- an abnormal fetus starts to form, but it cannot survive and develop into a baby (partial mole).
Molar pregnancies are rare. In the UK, they happen in approximately 1 in every 600 to 800 pregnancies.
How we detect a molar pregnancy
We may identify a molar pregnancy when you have an early pregnancy ultrasound. (This might be because you have pain or bleeding). We may also identify it during a routine ultrasound scan (11 to 14 weeks).
Sometimes we discover a molar pregnancy when your body tissue is sent for laboratory analysis after you experience a miscarriage.
Treatment
If we suspect you have a molar pregnancy, we will need to remove the abnormal growth (cells) from your womb (uterus).
To remove the cells, we perform a suction procedure called surgical management of miscarriage (SMM). You will have this procedure in hospital, while you are under general anaesthetic (asleep). We perform it through your vagina, so you will have no cuts or stitches.
The procedure usually takes 5 to 10 minutes.
We will send the abnormal cells to a laboratory for examination, and let you know whether they confirm you had a molar pregnancy.
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This procedure (SMM) is not a termination of pregnancy and it is not an abortion. We understand that this situation can be highly distressing for you. These feelings of distress are normal, but there is nothing you could have done to avoid having a molar pregnancy. |
Treatment results
You can expect the following, after your treatment.
If molar pregnancy confirmed
If the laboratory confirms a molar or partial molar pregnancy, a member of the Jasmine Unit team will telephone to let you know.
We will also advise you to have regular blood or urine tests to check whether you need further treatment after your confirmed molar pregnancy.
We will register you with the molar pregnancy regional centre at Charing Cross Hospital in London. This centre will oversee your regular blood or urine tests for around 6 months.
The Charing Cross centre will contact you by phone or letter. They will send you a kit with instructions on how and when to take these samples, and when to post them back to Charing Cross hospital.
Blood/urine testing
Regular blood or urine tests will check your levels of bHCG (the pregnancy hormone). The amount of bHCG increases during pregnancy, and normally decreases after the SMM procedure.
If it does not decrease after your SMM, this may mean abnormal cells still remain in your womb, and you might need further treatment.
Further treatment
For some women, the abnormal cells left in their womb do not go away on their own. This is called persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD).
- PTD occurs for about 1 in 7 women who had a complete mole.
- PTD occurs for about 1 in 200 women who had a partial mole.
This condition can be serious because the abnormal cells can regrow.
The Charing Cross team will discuss this with you, and plan further treatment with you. Almost all women who have further treatment are cured.
If molar pregnancy not confirmed
If the laboratory does not confirm a molar pregnancy, a member of the Jasmine Unit team will telephone you to let you know. Unfortunately, this still means you experienced a non-viable pregnancy. It means that we do not know why you miscarried.
We may ask you to come to Jasmine Unit for a blood test to confirm that your pregnancy has fully resolved.
Future pregnancy
A molar pregnancy will not affect your fertility. Many women go on to have healthy babies after experiencing a molar pregnancy.
Contact information
Kingston Hospital Jasmine Unit (6th floor, Esher Wing)
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
If you need help out of hours, call NHS 111 or go to your nearest Emergency Department (A&E).
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