Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Symptoms
The symptoms you might have with GTD depend on the type of GTD you have. See your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
Hydatidiform Moles:
- Unusual vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. At first the bleeding may appear watery with a small amount of blood in it. Later, the bleeding may be less watery and have more blood. You should talk about any abnormal bleeding during pregnancy with your health care provider.
- Anemia. In some cases, you might become anemic. That’s because your body cannot replace red blood cells as fast as you lose them. This can also lead to excessive fatigue.
- Unusual abdominal swelling. Often the uterus will be bigger than it should be for the number of weeks of pregnancy. This is due to the rapid growth of the molar placental tissue. This is more common with a complete molar pregnancy.
- Severe vomiting. Severe vomiting in pregnancy is called hyperemesis. It is often caused by very high levels of beta-hCG. Since molar pregnancies (especially complete moles) can make very high levels of this hormone, extreme nausea and vomiting is common.
- Overactive thyroid gland. About one out every 10 women with a complete mole also has hyperthyroidism. This causes heart palpitations, or a rapid beat. It also causes heat, sweatiness and shakiness. It can be treated with medications. But it will improve once the molar tissue is removed.
Invasive Moles and Choriocarcinoma:
- Bleeding accompanied by severe abdominal pain. This can be caused by bleeding into the abdominal cavity. That happens if the tumor grows all the way through and perforates the uterus. It can also result from uterine cramping in response to the tumor.
- Infection in the uterus causing vaginal discharge and cramping in the pelvis. Tumor cells can grow rapidly and die. This allows bacteria to infect the dead tissue. The discharge and cramping are the result of the infection.
- Abdominal swelling. Invasive moles can grow quickly. This will cause the uterus to be larger than expected for a pregnancy. Sometimes, large ovarian cysts will appear. These will cause a very swollen and tender abdomen.
- Vaginal mass. These tumors can grow down into the vagina. This will cause bleeding. It can also cause the appearance of a fleshy cancerous mass.
- Coughing up blood, dry cough, chest pain, or difficulty breathing. If the tumor spreads to the lung, cough, bloody sputum and pain may occur.
Placental-site Trophoblastic Tumor (PSTT)
- Bleeding in the abdomen, which causes abdominal pain.
- Abdominal swelling.
