Which statement is true regarding hydatidiform mole variants?

• A. Partial mole has no fetal parts
• B. Complete mole has no fetal parts
• C. Complete mole has fetal parts
• D. Partial mole has fetal parts

Answer: (B)

Hydatidiform mole variants differ by whether fetal tissue is present. A complete mole results when an empty egg is fertilized, usually by a single sperm that duplicates, producing a conceptus with only paternal genetic material (often 46,XX). Without maternal DNA, there is no embryo or fetal tissue, and the placental tissue shows diffuse hydropic villi with marked trophoblastic proliferation. This is why the statement that there are no fetal parts in a complete mole is true. In contrast, a partial mole arises from fertilization of a normal egg by two sperm (or a sperm that duplicates), leading to triploidy with some fetal tissue present, though the fetus is abnormal and not viable. So partial mole often contains fetal tissue, starkly contrasting with complete mole.