Molar Pregnancy: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

BySamradni Pradhan
Updated: 20 May 2025, 8:00 am

A molar pregnancy occurs when abnormal tissue grows inside your uterus instead of developing into a healthy embryo. With no chance of a viable pregnancy, it requires medical assistance to remove. You can look out for early signs like vaginal bleeding as one of the primary symptoms of this condition. However, only an ultrasound scan by a doctor can confirm it. Getting medical support immediately after diagnosis can help avoid further complications.

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A first ultrasound scan is an important part of your pregnancy journey. In some cases, the scan may show fluid-filled sacs in the uterus instead of a developing foetus. This condition, known as molar pregnancy, can usually be detected through an ultrasound. You may experience all the symptoms expected in a normal pregnancy, but still have a molar pregnancy. Unfortunately, a molar pregnancy cannot proceed as a normal pregnancy and has to be terminated.
In this article:

Understanding Molar Pregnancy

In a molar pregnancy, the embryo and placenta do not develop as they should, which means the pregnancy cannot continue. This often results in pregnancy loss, either naturally or through a medical procedure. Molar pregnancy is a rare condition, sometimes known as a hydatidiform mole.

Understanding Types of Molar Pregnancy

You may experience either a partial molar pregnancy or a complete one. In both types, there is a high chance of miscarriage.
  • Partial molar pregnancy: Although rare, partial molar pregnancy occurs after the fertilisation of an egg with two sperm cells. This leads to unusual placental growth; without a healthy placenta, an embryo cannot survive.
  • Complete molar pregnancy: This type of molar pregnancy results from sperm fertilising an egg without genes. Thus forming cysts in the uterus. An embryo cannot form without maternal genes.

Symptoms of Molar Pregnancy

Molar pregnancy has no specific symptoms, making it harder to detect. All the signs will lead you to think you have a normal pregnancy. However, vaginal bleeding is an alarming symptom in any pregnancy. You can also look for some less common symptoms that indicate molar pregnancy.
  • Vaginal bleeding: If you experience vaginal bleeding in your pregnancy, you should consult your doctor immediately. However, if you have a molar pregnancy, there can be clots or tissues present in the bleeding. You may also see a watery, brownish-red discharge. There are various reasons for vaginal bleeding, even in a normal pregnancy. Your doctor can help rule out the possibility of molar pregnancy after proper diagnosis.
  • Anaemia or a low level of red blood cells: Losing significant blood can lead to anaemia. The oxygen circulation in your body is reduced in anaemia because of fewer red blood cells. As a result, you may also feel tired or out of breath.
  • Large or small abdomen: Your abdomen gets bigger as the pregnancy advances. A doctor assesses the size with your pregnancy age in your prenatal appointment. However, a molar pregnancy will make your abdomen grow faster or slower than what is expected during that pregnancy stage. This may cause your abdomen to appear larger or smaller.
  • Being sick or nauseous: A normal pregnancy can make you sick or nauseated. You may feel the same during molar pregnancy but with a greater intensity. Hyperemesis gravidarum is the medical term for this kind of persistent sickness.
  • Pre-eclampsia: As your pregnancy advances, the risk factor also increases. The rise in blood pressure can indicate pre-eclampsia. In molar pregnancy, pre-eclampsia shows up at the beginning of your pregnancy. Your doctor may check your blood pressure and ask you to get a urine test to confirm pre-eclampsia.
  • High thyroid levels: With a molar pregnancy, you are at risk of getting hyperthyroidism due to an overactive thyroid. Muscle twitching, feeling more tired than usual and frequent bowel movements are its common symptoms.
Remember, even after all these symptoms, it is difficult to confirm a molar pregnancy without medical intervention. It is recommended to consult your doctor and consider ultrasound scans and blood tests.

What Causes Molar Pregnancy?

Molar pregnancies occur due to genetic errors during fertilisation, and they are not something that can be prevented or controlled. The chances of experiencing a molar pregnancy are similar for anyone who becomes pregnant, as these genetic changes can happen to anyone.An embryo needs 46 chromosomes to grow. Each set of 23 chromosomes comes from both parents with their genes. In molar pregnancies, either a set of chromosomes is missing or there is an extra set, leading to abnormal growth in the uterus.In a complete molar pregnancy, there is a missing set of chromosomes because of the absence of maternal genes in the egg. In a partial molar pregnancy, there is an extra set of chromosomes because two sperm cells fertilise one egg.In both cases, the embryo cannot grow properly, leading to the termination of pregnancy.

Treatment of Molar Pregnancy

Since a molar pregnancy cannot develop into a healthy pregnancy, treatment is necessary to avoid serious health risks. You may naturally miscarry the tissue, but medical intervention is often required to completely remove it. Here are the options that you can consider under medical supervision.
  • Surgical treatment: In surgical treatment, a doctor will perform Dilation and Curettage (D&C) under general anaesthesia so that you do not feel pain. In this procedure, the abnormal tissues are removed by scraping using a curette (surgical tool) and suction. In extremely rare cases, a doctor may recommend removing the uterus (hysterectomy) due to high-risk complications.
  • Medicinal treatment: A doctor may prescribe a medicine to treat molar pregnancy if it feels right. You can take prescribed medicines, which will help contract the uterus. This will ultimately expel the abnormal tissues from the uterus. A molar pregnancy is a rare but serious condition requiring urgent medical care. Your doctor will suggest the best treatment course for your optimum recovery.
  • Post-treatment care: After treatment, your doctor will support you through your full recovery. During pregnancy, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) naturally rises to high levels. A simple blood test is used to monitor these hormone levels and ensure they return to normal.
Removing a molar pregnancy will bring the HCG levels down to normal. Your doctor will recommend regular blood tests to assess the HCG levels. A normal HCG level in your blood test will indicate successful removal of a molar pregnancy.There are no precautionary measures to avoid molar pregnancy. Your chances of getting a molar pregnancy increase if you are below 20 or above 40 years old. It can also occur again if you previously had it.With proper medical support, you can get molar pregnancy treatment without complications. It will not ruin your chances of getting pregnant in the future.

FAQs on Molar pregnancy: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

  1. How to confirm a molar pregnancy?Your doctor can confirm a molar pregnancy by getting ultrasound scans or blood tests.
  2. When do molar pregnancy symptoms start?Symptoms start to show up during the first 3 months of your pregnancy. You may experience brownish-to-red vaginal discharge with clots or tissues.
  3. How do doctors remove a molar pregnancy?Doctors use surgical methods like D&C to remove tissue growth from the uterus. In some cases, you may also get medicine to contract the uterus and expel tissues.
Disclaimer: Medically approved by Dr Pallavi Panse, Consultant - Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jupiter Hospital, Baner, Pune.

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