Molar Pregnancy

Symptoms

A molar pregnancy typically triggers common signs of pregnancy—a missed menstrual period, breast tenderness, fatigue, increased urination, and morning sickness.

Contact your health professional immediately if you have signs of pregnancy and develop any of the following during your first trimester:

• Vaginal discharge of tissue that is shaped like grapes. This is the most characteristic symptom of a molar pregnancy.
• Vaginal bleeding (light or heavy). Light vaginal bleeding in the first trimester is common in a normal pregnancy. But it may signal a molar pregnancy or a miscarriage.
• Severe nausea and vomiting. These symptoms occur occasionally in a molar pregnancy.
• Signs of hyperthyroidism, such as fatigue, weight loss, increased heart rate, heat intolerance, sweating, irritability, anxiety, muscle weakness, and thyroid enlargement.

Signs of a molar pregnancy that your health professional might find during an exam include:

• High blood pressure, which is a common symptom of preeclampsia. A molar pregnancy can cause preeclampsia to develop during the first or early second trimester.
• No fetal heartbeat. No fetus is present in complete molar pregnancies and in some partial molar pregnancies.
• A uterus that is abnormally large for the length of the pregnancy. There are reasons other than a molar pregnancy for a large uterus, such as being pregnant with twins or not knowing how long you have been pregnant. But an abnormally large uterus is a common sign of molar pregnancy.

Complete molar pregnancies are now often diagnosed by ultrasound earlier in pregnancy than they were in the past. So, women with complete molar pregnancies seldom have the condition long enough to develop symptoms such as excessive uterine size, nausea, vomiting, preeclampsia, and hyperthyroidism.

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Author:	Kathe Gallagher, MSW	Last Updated: October 29, 2007
Medical Review:	Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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