In September 2021, three months after they had been shown the two long-awaited stripes on the pregnancy test, Marte and her husband Thomas Jensen (28) took the trip from Sandefjord to Tønsberg hospital.
After trying to get pregnant for half a year, they had finally been able to let go of the jubilation that summer. Now the couple was looking forward to the first ultrasound.
Marte had recently struggled with the usual pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and sensitivity to certain odors. She was very tired, had sore breasts and at times experienced pain in the abdomen.
– But considering that it seemed like the typical pregnancy symptoms, I just took it as a good sign. Both my husband and I enjoyed ourselves very much at the thought that there was a small sprout in our stomach. We were in our own little, nice bubble, she tells Dagbladet.
The case is first mentioned in Drammens Tidende.
No sign of life
Since Marte had previously removed one ovary due to a benign tumor, the hospital wanted to perform an ultrasound in week 12 of the pregnancy.
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An ultrasound is performed according to Helsenorge by a sound head being passed over the pregnant belly and with the sound head sound waves are sent into the uterus. The sound waves are then reflected by the fetus, umbilical cord and placenta, and are captured again by the sound head.
But instead of telling the expectant parents what the doctor saw, Marte was surprised that she spent a long time before she said anything.
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– Finally, she said a sentence that I will never forget. She said she could not find any sign that I was on my way for three months, Marte recalls before continuing:
– You are aware that it is a probability, but it was an incredibly bad message to get.
From fetus to disease
To be completely on the safe side, the doctor performed an internal ultrasound. Thomas tried to reassure them both that the doctor might not have seen well enough.
Rarely diagnosed syndrome after this
But it would soon show that there was no fetus growing in Marte’s stomach.
– When she had taken the internal ultrasound, I was told that I had a trophoblast disease, called bladder mole. I had never heard of it before, and just then I was so devastated by the message that there was no life that I do not really remember exactly what was said either.
TROPHY BLAST DISEASE: – I did not think it was possible to get a lot of tumors when trying to have children, Marte Hjellum Jensen tells Dagbladet. Photo: Private
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– What was it like to receive such a message as what you did?
– It was absolutely cruel. You have been walking around and dreaming away for three months and then being told that there has never been anything there.
– Tough to hear
The only thing Marte remembers after she received the crushing message is that the doctor said that a scraping had to be carried out.
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– Then I replied that I would do it right away. I just wanted it out of my body and done with it. I no longer had any joy over what was there, and then I might as well just finish it.
The scraping was to be carried out in the morning the next day.
– To be told that you have to be on the operating table and also get follow-up afterwards, I thought was very tough to hear. I’m a person who would rather just finish it and put it behind them. When you then have to be reminded of it so long afterwards… I thought it was difficult to think about.
Enjoy setbacks
Two weeks after the scraping, it was time for a follow-up class at Tønsberg Hospital where it was to be informed about the way forward. Several blood tests were done to check that hCG level had not risen.
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As the answers had not arrived before she left the class, Marte returned to work.
– I just managed to grab the door handle at the workplace when the doctor from Tønsberg hospital called me and said that my hCG level had risen again, and that I would be contacted by Radiumhospitalet for further treatment, Marte remembers before she continues:
– It was of course a shock message to receive. I completely broke down.
It should be emphasized that Marte’s tumors were benign.
Quick start of treatment
The next day, a phone call came from Olesya Solheim, who is chief physician at the gynecology department at Oslo University Hospital.
– She said I just had to pack my suitcase to get in right away. So that’s what we did. I called my husband, and he hurried home from work, while I had to call the boss and inform him that I was going to be gone for a while.
RADIUM HOSPITAL: Det Norske Radiumhospital is the country’s specialist hospital for the treatment of cancer and Northern Europe’s largest cancer center. In addition to patient treatment, a lot of cancer research is conducted. Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / NTB
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From there, things went fast. The first day at Radiumhospitalet was used to take lots of samples and get more information about the situation.
– Both the doctors and the nurses were so incredibly good. They behaved calmly, and met me with understanding and care. I felt really well taken care of.
Random who gets
Women are usually treated at their local hospitals. A few – like Marte – need specialized treatment with chemotherapy that is implemented at Radiumhospitalet within 24 hours.
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Olesya Solheim specializes in trophoblast disease and heads the National Treatment Service for women with malignant trophoblast disease. In an interview with Drammens Tidende Solheim emphasizes that all women get well.
– The earlier you discover the disease, the better. This is about placental tissue that divides very quickly. In the worst case, the tumors can spread further in the body, for example to the lungs, she explains.
Common symptoms of trophoblast disease are bleeding. Another symptom is preeclampsia. According to the superior, it is more or less random who gets the disease.
– Nevertheless, women over the age of 40 in particular have a somewhat higher risk. This can occur during normal pregnancy, after spontaneous or provoked abortion or during pregnancy under the uterus.
Crying in pain
Marte began treatment with four rounds of chemotherapy, with a seven-day break between each treatment. The treatment consisted of a low-dose cytotoxic drug that was injected into the hip area.
– I was in so much pain that I cried in pain while walking on it. I always dreaded starting a new round, because I knew what pain I could end up with.
HAPPY DAY: When Marte and Thomas finally got the message that the hCG level was normalized, there was every reason to smile broadly. Photo: Private
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After 11 rounds, the hCG level was finally down to a normal level. Finally, Marte finished chemotherapy.
– That day I will probably never forget. Then there were quite a few tears of joy in the eyes of both me, my husband, friends and family. Now there is only one year left with a lot of follow-up, but it should go well. The worst is hopefully over, says Marte with a big smile.
Lack of Internet
The night before she was admitted to Radiumhospitalet, Marte and her husband tried to find information about trophoblast disease on the Internet, with limited results. They also failed to find anyone who had been through the same thing.
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– There and then I felt very alone about this disease, and it was incredibly scary. I myself missed being able to read about others who had been through the same thing, and to whom I could relate.
To Dagbladet, Marte explains that she has chosen to tell openly about the disease in order to spread knowledge and help others who are affected.
– I am not a person who likes attention, so we have spent this whole half year thinking about whether I should do it or not. I finally found out that I had really appreciated if anyone else had been open about it when I was looking for information.
