I cared for a woman with a molar pregnancy last year and thought Id lift the facts section from my reflection on it. Hope its informative.

In the UK ‘mole’ pregnancies occur at approximately 1 per 1000 registered births and are more common in Asia, in Asian countries, the rate is perhaps as much as 15 times higher. In Japan, for example, it's estimated that one in 500 pregnancies develops a hydatidiform mole. About one in a hundred women who has had a hydatidiform mole will have another one in a subsequent pregnancy (Mayes, 2000).

A mole is characterized by a conceptus of hyperplastic trophoblastic tissue attached to the placenta. The conceptus does not contain the inner cell mass (the mass of cells inside the primordial embryo that will eventually give rise to the fetus). There are 2 types of mole a “complete mole” in which there is no fetus at any time. Instead the placenta grows as a series of cysts which look rather like grapes (hydatid means watery cyst). It can also be a “partial mole” in which there is evidence of a fetus although it cannot survive (Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Trust, 2006). The etiology of this condition is not completely understood. Potential risk factors may include defects in the egg, abnormalities within the uterus, or nutritional deficiencies. Women under 20 or over 40 years of age have a higher risk. Other risk factors include diets low in protein, folic acid, and carotene.

A woman with a hydatidiform mole feels pregnant. However, the mole grows faster than a normal foetus would, so her abdomen becomes larger more quickly than one would expect. She may also experience severe hyperemesis. There may be bleeding from the vagina during the first trimester, and material that looks like grapes may be passed.

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