Symptoms
Most women with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) are diagnosed early-on in the disease during routine ultrasound examinations and blood tests for pregnancy. Symptoms of the disease may not appear until later in the disease. These symptoms may be similar to those experienced during a normal pregnancy, but more severe:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, more severe than in a normal pregnancy
- Amenorrhea (lack of normal menstrual period)
- Vaginal discharge of grape-like cysts
- Fatigue, lack of energy, shortness of breath caused by anemia
- Nausea and vomiting, more severe than in a normal pregnancy ("hyperemesis gravidarum")
- Abdominal swelling or bloating
- Enlarged uterine size greater than expected for week of pregnancy
- Lump or mass in the vagina
- Preeclampsia: a condition that occurs in normal pregnancies that causes high blood pressure, headaches, and swelling in the hands and feet.
- Hyperthyroidism: a condition in which the thyroid gland is overactive, causing symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, tremors, and irritability.
Symptoms of Advanced Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD)
In more severe cases of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD) in which the cancer has spread to distant organs, the following symptoms may occur:
Lungs
Chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing up blood
Brain
Headache, seizures, confusion, dizziness
Liver
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, abdominal swelling
