Molar pregnancy wait time

laowaigringa

Hi all- I had a m/c at 10 weeks back in August and it turned out to be a molar pregnancy, which I had never heard of. Basically, it was a case of two sperms in one egg; it never had a chance. But also, apparently such pregnancies can turn into cancerous growths (or something- I'm kind of hazy on the details and it just seems so strange to me that being pregnant can give you cancer) and they advise you to wait a full 12 months from the date of miscarriage before trying to conceive again. According to both my Dr. and the internet, these molar pregnancies occur every 1 in 1,000 pregnancies, which to me sounds not that uncommon (and not even 1 in 1,000 miscarriages, but 1,000 pregnancies!) which leaves me surprised that I hadn't heard of it.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out there had an experience with this and was also wondering how long you really waited before TTC again and if you ran into any complications once pregnant again. I'm almost 34 and this will be my first, so I was really hoping to get this baby thing underway sooner rather than later and the thought of waiting another 9 months just to start trying to get pregnant again doesn't appeal.  Any advice or experiences appreciated!

hungryhippo

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I don't personally have experience with a molar pregnancy, but in my time here there have been at least 2 members of the board go through this. One had to wait a minimum of 12 months and one had to wait a minimum of 6 months. I think you should follow your health care provider's instructions exactly because this isn't something you want to take risks with. If you are uncomfortable with the advice you were given, then I definitely encourage you to ask exactly what their reasons are for this timeline.

I'm so sorry, again. I hope you find the ladies here helpful during you time TTA. ((hugs)) 

cg0112358

I had a partial molar pregnancy and even started/headed a monthly check-in for molar pregnancies for my first 8+ months on the board due to the lack of awareness of this type of m/c. In my experience most of the women in the check-in were told that they had to have weekly b/w to check HCG levels until they reached zero and then monthly b/w for a 6 month prior to TTC again. One of the women was recommended to wait 12 months and another 3 months (as advised by her doctor based on the results of women's whose HCG levels dropped quickly after the D&C without the need for medication). My doctor gave me a 6-month wait and my RE, who I just met with last month, agreed. The nurses at my current OB's office seemed to think I needed a 12-month wait even though I transferred to him and met with him after reaching my 6-month wait and he was fine with me going ahead with TTC plans. Remember that 1 in 1000 is still only 0.1% so that is still relatively uncommon and molar pregnancies can only really be confirmed by pathology results, which are not done in many natural m/c so there may be quite a few women who have a MP but never find out about it.

I believe the wait time usually differs depending on whether you had a partial molar pregnancy or a complete molar pregnancy. Partial molar pregnancies are, if I remember my research correctly, less likely to develop GTD and are therefore given a lesser wait time. I hope this information helps as I know that the DX of a molar pregnancy can be a very difficult DX to deal with as not only do you have the loss of your child/children but the possibility of cancer and a possibly lengthy TTA period. 

I linked a search for my check-ins that might give you more info on the women involved in the molar pregnancy check-in. I ran it from Oct/Nov 2011 to April 2012 before I took an extended bump break.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=molar+pregnancy+check+in&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=thebump.com&as_occt=any&safe=off&tbs=&as_filetype=&as_rights= 

martyn17

I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't have any experience with this, but I hope you find lots of comfort and support here. Thoughts, prayers and ((hugs))

dozersmom

I had a partial molar pregnancy in August that was diagnosed 2 months after the d&c. It was a back and forth process of whether or not they thought it was actually a pmp. Anyway they decided to treat it as a pmp and I was told to have 3 weekly negatives followed by 6 monthly negatives. Did you have a partial or complete? Also I got to 0 on my own in 7 weeks which is a good sign, and makes the chances of any mole regrowing like a .04% chance.

Now as far as I know a CMP is a little different and has to be treated with more caution. Anyway please hop over to https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a113685/molar_and_partial_molar_pregnancies

It is a whole group on molar pregnancies and these ladies have done a lot of research and know A LOT about molar pregnancies. I have decided that since my levels were low and my molar pregnancy diagnosis seemed to not be definite, that I have started to not try/not prevent at this time. I have had my 3 weekly negatives, and next week will go for my first monthly. In the mean time I have been using a internet cheapie hpt once a week just to check for myself that the levels haven't rose on their own.

Good luck, and take a look at the other board!

densquared

I'm so sorry for your loss. I have no experience or knowledge of molar pregnancy, I just wanted to welcome you to the board.

brihall003

I'm so sorry for your loss. Dozer and cg gave some excellent advice, so I'll just tell you a little about my experience. My miscarriage was a partial molar pregnancy and I am currently still in the process of having weekly blood draws until my betas drop below 5. Then my OB has directed I have 6 monthly of blood draws with no hcg following that point before TTC. My regular doctor had mentioned a full year wait time just during a discussion, so I get the impression the medical community chooses between 1yr and 6mos depending on the woman's particular case. It does suck having to wait so long to try again, and the very slight but real chance of developing cancer just feels like an extra slap in the face after a miscarriage. I hope that you find the answers you need and that the TTA time flies by.

LAMCH1980

I'm so sorry for your loss.  I personally don't know much about molar pregnancy, but I can understand how such a long wait can be troublesome.  As you have read, there are some other ladies in the same boat, so you are not alone!  Welcome to the board.