Treatment
Your nurse, doctor or midwife will explain the treatment to you. You can ask them any questions that you have. You are likely to feel upset and shocked. It can be hard to take in information. You can ask again if you need to.
Your nurse or midwife gives you some tablets that you swallow. They also put a pessary (a large tablet) into the vagina, close to the entrance of the womb. This helps the entrance to the womb to open and allows the molar pregnancy tissue to pass out.
It normally takes a few hours for the medicines to work. You will have cramps in your abdomen (tummy) and some vaginal bleeding. It can take up to a few hours for the whole molar pregnancy to pass. You will have painkillers.
The tissue you pass is sent to the laboratory for checking.
Your healthcare team can talk through what will happen and tell you when you can go home.
You might be able to go home the same day or you might need to stay in hospital overnight. You have some bleeding for up to 3 weeks afterwards. If the bleeding doesn’t stop or gets very heavy you should go back to the hospital straight away.
It’s not easy to deal with a molar pregnancy and you might have very strong emotions that feel overwhelming. Your healthcare team will support you and offer some options for counselling and support.
Find out about support for a molar pregnancy
For most women, the treatment removes most of the molar tissue and any remaining cells die off on their own. So you don't need more treatment. But sometimes a few cells can remain in the womb and carry on growing.
You need to have regular follow up to make sure you have no signs of remaining molar tissue.
Follow up means regular blood or urine tests to check the levels of a hormone called hCG in your blood and urine. If the levels stay high or they go up, you might need to have surgery or chemotherapy treatment.
About 1 out of every 100 women (1%) with a partial molar pregnancy will need chemotherapy.
About 13 to 16 out of every 100 women (13 to 16%) who have a complete molar pregnancy will need treatment with chemotherapy.
Last reviewed: 15 Jun 2023
Next review due: 15 Jun 2026
In a molar pregnancy the fertilisation of the egg by the sperm goes wrong and creates abnormal cells or clusters of water filled sacs inside the womb. Molar pregnancies can be complete or partial.
The most common treatment for molar pregnancy is surgery. Some women might have drug treatment.
Many molar pregnancies are picked up during routine ultrasound scans during pregnancy.
You are closely monitored with blood and urine tests after your treatment for molar pregnancy.
In a molar pregnancy the fertilisation of the egg by the sperm goes wrong and creates abnormal cells or clusters of water filled sacs inside the womb. Molar pregnancies are not cancer (they are benign).
Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a group of rare tumours that start in the cells that would normally develop into the placenta during pregnancy. Abnormal cells grow inside the womb but they are different to womb cancer.
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