What Kind of Miscarriage Causes Benign Cancer?

 If you are thinking,  I had no idea a miscarriage could lead to benign cancer!", then you are not alone. I didn't either.

"You had a rare type of miscarriage called a complete molar pregnancy. This happens in 0.3% of pregnancies. This happens when the baby receives both sets of chromosomes from one parent and none from the other...most resolve on their own after surgery but 1 in 5 require further care in which I would refer you to a specialist."- paraphrasing my reproductive endocrinologist as he shared with my the results of my biopsy after my D&C surgery (surgery to remove the dead baby and tissues).

My doctor was kind in his word choices as he was hoping I'd fall in the majority.  But a quick google research revealed the "specialist" he was referring to.....

A Gynecologic Oncologist....

"Oncologist?!?", I thought....what in the world.  

8 blood tests and 8 weeks later I met my Oncologist....it took another month to confirm but she ended up explaining that I have Gestational Trophoblastic Disease caused by my molar pregnancy.  The trophoblastic cells (placental cells) from the pregnancy never stop growing in the uterus and continue to produce HCG (the hormone produced by the placenta...what tests positive when you are pregnant and pee on a stick).  Right before my D&C, my HCG was 400,000!! a normal super pregnant women is about 100,000.....that explained my insane nausea!

Treatment requires surgery (check! been there, done that!), and a type of chemotherapy called methotrexate: infusions 5 days a week, every other week.  Once my HCG gets to zero, then I have 3 final rounds (one round =2 weeks). When I first googled that I may need chemo, I cried in fear mostly because I didn't want to lose my hair and prayed God would spare my hair.  I was relived to find out that methotrexate is super mild and most women keep all their hair! Praise God!

So the girl who had prayed for 2.5 years for a positive pregnancy test, was now on her knees praying for a negative pregnancy test asap.  How's that for perspective!

So overall, Gestational Trophoblastic disease: pretty rare, but thankfully super treatable, and super strange.  If you or anyone you know is going through anything like this, please feel free to have them reach out because they are not alone!