Which pregnancy complication involves an abnormal increase in placental tissue?

The condition related to an abnormal increase in placental tissue is molar pregnancy. In this complication, there is an overgrowth of trophoblastic cells, which can result in a mass of tissue or fluid-filled vesicles that resemble grapes. Molar pregnancies can be classified into complete or partial moles; complete moles involve the fertilization of an egg without a nucleus, leading to only paternal genetic material, while partial moles occur with abnormal fertilization of a normal egg by two sperm, resulting in tissue that has both normal and abnormal characteristics.

Understanding molar pregnancy involves recognizing that this condition can lead not only to excessive growth of placental tissue but also to complications such as gestational trophoblastic disease and potential for malignancy if left untreated. Monitoring and management are crucial to ensure the health of the patient after diagnosis.

In contrast, gestational diabetes involves impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy, placental abruption refers to the separation of the placenta from the uterus before delivery, and preeclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and often protein in the urine, none of which deal with abnormal placental tissue proliferation as seen in molar pregnancies.