A review of molar pregnancy at the university hospital of the West Indies over a 16-year period

There is a wide variation in reported incidence, risk factors and presentation of molar pregnancy. This necessitates population-based studies to determine these parameters at the University Hospital of the West Indies, which is a referral centre for these conditions. The incidence of molar pregnancy at the University Hospital of the West Indies was found to be 2.81 per 1,000, which fell in the range of worldwide values. Partial moles made up 61.1% and complete moles 31.0%. The mean age of the patients was 28.49 years old with 85% of patients aged between 20 and 40 years old. The median gestational age by dates was 12 weeks and vaginal bleeding was the most common presenting symptom (77%). A significant number of cases (52.2%) of molar pregnancy were diagnosed by routine histopathology for failed pregnancy and not by pre-evacuation ultrasound. The practice of routine assessment of tissue from failed pregnancy should therefore be encouraged in our population.