Women with GTD may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes, women with GTD do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not cancer.

The symptoms of GTD may resemble those of a normal pregnancy. However, the following symptoms could signal a potential problem:

Abnormal vaginal bleeding during or after pregnancy

A uterus that is larger than expected at a given point in the pregnancy

Severe nausea or vomiting during pregnancy

High blood pressure at an early point in the pregnancy, which may include headaches and/or swelling of the feet and hands

A pregnancy where the baby has not moved at the expected time

Pain or pressure in the pelvic area

Abdominal swelling

Anemia, which is a low red blood cell count that can cause fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, or an irregular heartbeat

Anxiety or irritability, including feeling shaky or severe sweating

Sleep problems

Unexplained weight loss

Occasionally, symptoms may appear weeks, months, or even years after a normal pregnancy and birth.

If you are concerned about any changes you experience, please talk with your doctor. Your doctor will ask how long and how often you’ve been experiencing any symptom, in addition to other questions. This is to help figure out the cause of the problem, called a diagnosis.

If GTD is diagnosed, relieving symptoms remains an important part of your care and treatment. This may also be called symptom management, palliative care, or supportive care. Be sure to talk with your health care team about the symptoms you experience, including any new symptoms or a change in symptoms.

In rare situations, if a cancerous GTD has spread beyond the uterus at the time of diagnosis, other symptoms may occur depending on the location. In this case, GTD may be misdiagnosed as another health problem. For example, the spread of choriocarcinoma to the brain may result in bleeding, which can be mistaken for a brain aneurysm. A beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta hCG) blood test (see Diagnosis) should help the health care team better understand the problem.