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Placenta Previa: Complication and Treatment

Placenta previa is a condition in which the cervix is covered by the placenta. It usually occurs during the second or last trimester of pregnancy.

Actually, there are three kinds of placenta previa. One of which is the complete previa. It is where the cervix and the uterus are completely covered by the placenta. Partial previa is a kind of placenta previa where in only small part of the cervix is covered. Last is the so called, marginal previa, in which the placenta is extended to the end of the cervix.

Placenta previa is considered to be one of the rarest conditions that could happen to pregnant women. Actually, out of 200 pregnancies, there is only one who can have placenta previa. Most reason why this condition happens is due to abnormality in the development of the uterus, multiple pregnancies, scarring of uterine walls due to previous pregnancies, caesarian section, surgeries done in the uterus and even abortion.

Symptoms of placenta previa include sudden pain and bleeding nearly at the end of the second or third trimester of pregnancy. In rare cases, patients are experiencing some heavy vaginal bleeding that can stay for several days or weeks. There is also some uterine cramping with bleeding and abdominal pain.

Diagnosing placenta previa condition can be detected by your health care provider through ultrasound test. However, doing ultrasound test is not that accurate because of the position of the baby inside the womb; anyhow, it is still reliable and helpful to visualized the whole condition.

To monitor the whole condition of the pregnant woman who is diagnosed with placenta previa, series of ultrasound tests is highly recommended. Usually at 16 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta will start to grow until the third trimester of pregnancy; although there is only a little chance of having complete previa in tshe second trimester, it will result to marginal previa.

There is one more problem that occurs during pregnency is Placenta Abruptio.

Placenta abruptio occurs when the placenta is separated from the fetus. The placenta plays an important role in conceiving. It provides the baby all the nourishment that they need during the entire length of pregnancy. It provides food and oxygen to the baby from the mother.

Placenta abruptio takes place when the placenta is removed from the wall of the uterus during the early stage of pregnancy. Causes may be due to the abnormalities in the size of the umbilical cord, injury from the abdominal area, underweight mother, and sudden loss of amniotic fluid.

Causes of placenta abruptio are usually unknown, but there are several things that elevate the risk among women. These factors are high blood pressure that measures over 140/90, history of having a medical condition in the past pregnancy, smoking and alcohol, damage and infection of the uterus. If you have placenta abruptio, there are symptoms that you may experience such as vaginal bleeding, rigid pain caused by sore uterus, early contractions that may lead to preterm labor, lower back and abdominal pain.

Placenta abruptio can be treated by injecting fluids through the vein and having blood transfusion. Both the mother and the unborn child are monitored for their heart rate.

The mother is suggested to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation, if the case is only a small placenta rupture; but if the condition gets worse and cannot be in any chance, responding to medications applied to the mother, an emergency caesarian section will be considered.

by: George Davis




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