Treatment options for molar pregnancy

A molar pregnancy occurs when the fertilisation of the egg by the sperm goes wrong. This leads to the growth of abnormal cells or clusters of water filled sacs inside the womb Open a glossary item

Molar pregnancies are not cancer (they are benign). There is a very small risk that the molar cells could become cancerous if they are not all removed. 

There are different treatments available to remove a molar pregnancy.

Surgery for molar pregnancy

Most women have surgery under a general anaesthetic Open a glossary item to remove the molar tissue from the womb. You might have one of the following operations:

  • dilatation and suction evacuation (D and E). Your surgeon uses a thin tube to gently suck out the molar tissue
  • dilatation and curettage (D and C). Your surgeon uses an instrument called a curette to scrape away the molar tissue
  • removal of your womb (hysterectomy)

There are different types of hysterectomy. Your surgeon will explain your operation to you in more detail. For most women, surgery removes all of the molar tissue. You don’t normally need any more treatment.

Drug treatment to remove molar tissue

Some women who have a molar pregnancy have drug treatment. This treatment makes the womb contract and removes the abnormal cells. This is called medical management or medical evacuation.

Follow up

Following treatment, your healthcare team will keep a very close eye on the levels of a hormone called hCG in your blood and urine. Your doctors use this to decide if you need extra treatment.

Your blood and urine tests are checked at specialist hospitals. These hospitals are in London, Sheffield and Dundee. Molar pregnancies are rare. So it is important to have experts providing treatment in a few specialist centres.

  • Diagnosis and management of gestational trophoblastic disease: 2021 update
    HYS Ngan and others
    International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2021. Volume 155. Pages 86-93

  • The Management of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (4th edition)
    Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, September 2020

  • Diagnosis and management of gestational trophoblastic disease: 2025 update

    Hextan Y. S. Ngan and others 

    The International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 2025

  • Gestational Trophoblastic Disease: Complete versus Partial Hydatidiform Moles

    J Gonzalez and others

    Diseases, 2024. Volume 12, Issue 7, Page 159

  • Point-Of-Care Ultrasound to Diagnose Molar Pregnancy in the Emergency Department: A Case Report and Topic Review

    Erin Avers and others

    Cureus, 2024. Volume 16, Issue 8

Last reviewed: 
28 Aug 2025
Next review due: 
28 Aug 2028

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