Molar pregnancy is a scary type of pregnancy loss because of the possibility of health complications. As with all types of pregnancy loss, there is no way to prevent it from happening, and molar pregnancy can happen even in the absence of any risk factors.
However, researchers have identified some factors that seem to increase risk of gestational trophoblastic disease. Many are similar to the risk factors for other types of miscarriage.
Remember that these risk factors are not causes of molar pregnancy but merely conditions that appear to be statistically correlated with a higher odds of developing the condition and that molar pregnancy is not common even among people who might have all of these risk factors:
- Mothers older than 35
- Previous molar pregnancy
- Blood type A, B, or AB
- Use of birth control pills
- Smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day
Remember that the cause of molar pregnancy is chromosomal abnormalities; either an “empty” egg lacking maternal DNA or two sperm fertilizing a single egg.
Sources:
American Cancer Society, “What Is Gestational Trophoblastic Disease?” Detailed Guide: Gestational Trophoblastic Disease May 2006. Accessed 26 Jan 2008.
American Pregnancy Association, “Molar Pregnancy.” Mar 2006. Accessed 26 Jan 2008.
Berkowitz, R.S., D.W. Cramer, M.R. Bernstein, S. Cassells, S.G. Driscoll, and D.P. Goldstein, "Risk factors for complete molar pregnancy from a case control study." American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1985. Accessed 26 Jan 2008.
Berkowitz, R.S., M.R. Bernstein, B.L. Harlow, L.W. Rice, J.M. Lage, D.P. Goldstein, and D.W. Cramer, "Case-control study of risk factors for partial molar pregnancy." American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1995. Accessed 26 Jan 2008.
Palmer, Julie R., Shirley G. Driscoll, Lynn Rosenberg, Ross S. Berkowitz, John R. Lurain, John Soper, Leo B. Twiggs, David M. Gershenson, Ernest I. Kohorn, Michael Berman, Samuel Shapiro, and R. Sowmya Rao. "Oral Contraceptive Use and Risk of Gestational Trophoblastic Tumors." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1999. Accessed 30 Jan 2008.
