Be cautious of Placenta Praevia
You must have heard about low line placenta from your relatives and friends during their pregnancy phases. So let’s get to understand what it means and how your pregnancy may be different from the normally placed placenta ones.
Medically, the low line placenta is recognized as Placenta Praevia. So, if you find this word on your ultrasound scan, then be prepared what your gynecologist will tell you in your next visit.
What is Placenta Praevia?
Placenta praevia occurs when a baby’s placenta partially or totally covers the opening in the mother’s cervix- the lower end of the uterus that connects to the top of the vagina. Placenta praevia can cause severe bleeding before or during delivery.
The placenta provides oxygen and nutrients to your growing baby and removes waste products from your baby’s blood. It attaches to the wall of your uterus, and your baby’s umbilical cord arises from it. In most pregnancies, the placenta attaches at the top or side of the uterus. In placenta praevia, the placenta attaches to the lower area of the uterus.
What causes Placenta Praevia?
Though not much is known over the etiology, but most recognize it in case of twins where placental surface is bigger than the normal and conveniently extends till the lower portions. Also, increased maternal age and previous history of caesarean do have their role to play.
When can a Placenta Praevia be detected?
Many would-be-mothers believe that in the 10th week of pregnancy, placenta praevia can be scanned. Actually placental situation can’t be marked before the 20 weeks scan to be precise. Most likely, a 10 weeks low line is expected to make it to the upper segment and relieve all issues. It is not the placenta that moves, but the uterus expands corresponding to the baby size and changes; that causes the uplift.
Severity of Placenta Praevia
The condition can be seen to occur in 4 types: where the first is just marginally placed on the lower segment, type 2 where placenta has just reached the opening but doesn’t cover it. Type 3 is where placenta does cover the opening, but partially and in the last type 4 the opening is surmounted completely by the placenta.
Complications of Placenta Praevia
During pregnancy
- A varying degree of bleeding is reported with placenta praevia
- Mal presentations, as the baby is not able to take the normal position already occupied by the placenta, and thus may lie with head up or in a transverse position.
- Sex would be a strict no throughout 9 months, as it may raise the chances of miscarriage, premature delivery and related complications.
- Premature labor chances are high; sometimes it needs to be induced as well.
During labor
- Chances of caesarean increase with a low lie, especially in type 4, you may be way informed about the odds of you to have a normal delivery.
- Placental complications, like retained placenta, early rupture and post-partum bleeding will be marked.
- Fetus may too have the share and may present with low birth weight. Even intrauterine death may occur in case a cord mishap occurs in between, birth injuries, congenital malformations that are like three times more common in placenta praevia gestations.
What to do?
Once diagnosed you need to be quite vigilant:
- Never ignore any kind of bleeding, even a trivial one.
- Watch in case you find any mass within the bleeding, and do preserve it for further investigations in a sterile cloth.
- Immediate hospitalization and consultation
- Resting is a must within the phase. In case you are the lucky one to escape it all as majorly do, you just need to rest a bit extra and stay cautious. Further, keeping a pillow under feet and lying left side is recommended.
With medical advances, things have been sorted well. But you need to act intelligently and never hesitate to discuss even a slightest of doubt.