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| Diagnosis of a Molar Pregnancy | The majority of molar pregnancies are able to be identified, during the earliest terms or pregnancy. A doctor may suspect a woman have a molar pregnancy based on symptoms she has, or because her uterus is unusually large for the term of her pregnancy. Diagnosis usually begins with a history of previous pregnancy / pregnancies, if there were any, and physical examination. Usually there is a history or a recent pregnancy, if there was any, no matter whether or not a baby arrived. Then a blood test is conducted, with the help of which is it possible to measure the level of human chorionic gonadotropin, which is also considered to be the “hormone of pregnancy”, although t his level of this hormone is usually measured in a routine pregnancy test. In case of a molar pregnancy the level of hCG becomes extremely high, the reason of this is the abnormal fetal tissue.
Thus, a molar pregnancy may be suspected in case if a woman has a high level of human chorionic gonadotropin. Though, not every pregnancy, during which a woman has an abnormally high level of this hormone, may be considered as molar, and, moreover, some molar pregnancies are not accompanied with high levels of hCG. It is also possible to have a pelvic exam, with the help of which the size of the uterus is evaluated, and any abnormality may be revealed.
As soon as the test reveals a high level of hCG, or a pelvic exam’s results show that the uterus is too large for the term of pregnancy, an ultrasound is conducted. An ultrasound investigation of the pelvis along with the pelvic area is considered to be the most reliable way to locate, confirm or reject the diagnosis of a molar pregnancy. With the help of sound waves, applied in the ultrasound, an image of the contests within the uterus is shown on the screen. Therefore, it should also be noted, that in some cases molar pregnancies are first diagnosed during the ultrasound investigation, which is conducted for some other purpose.
In case if a woman has a molar pregnancy, there arises a necessity to conduct some additional testing in order to determine the type of a molar pregnancy and the possibility of it having spread outside the uterus. In addition, these exams are conducted to see whether there is a preeclampsia, anemia, any signs of cancerous tissue and / or hyperthyroidism, which is often caused by a molar pregnancy. To these testing refer the chest X – ray, computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in order to have the picture of the chest, abdominal area, pelvic and pelvic area, brain and other organs and parts of the body. In addition, some more blood and urine tests may be necessary to have conducted. And as soon as the molar tissue is removed with the help of a D&C procedure, a pathologist will work at it under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis.
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