What is (are) recurrent hydatidiform mole ?
Recurrent hydatidiform mole occurs when women have at least two abnormal pregnancies described as hydatidiform moles. A hydatidiform mole occurs early in pregnancy when an embryo does not fully develop and the placenta develops abnormally. The placenta is a solid structure in the uterus that normally provides nutrients to a growing fetus. If a hydatidiform mole occurs once, it is known a sporadic hydatidiform mole; if it happens again, the condition is known as recurrent hydatidiform mole.  A hydatidiform mole often causes vaginal bleeding in the first trimester of the pregnancy. In an ultrasound examination, the abnormal placenta appears as numerous small sacs, often described as resembling a bunch of grapes. In some cases, the ultrasound shows no fetus, umbilical cord, or amniotic sac (a fluid-filled sac that normally surrounds the fetus).  Hydatidiform moles are not naturally discharged from the body and must be surgically removed, typically by the end of the first trimester. After removal, there is up to a 20 percent risk that any tissue left behind (persistent mole) will continue to grow and become a cancerous tumor called an invasive mole. The invasive mole can transform into a different form of cancer called gestational choriocarcinoma that can spread (metastasize) to other tissues such as the liver, lungs, or brain.