Placental abruption, placenta previa, and placenta accreta are causes of premature birth, stillbirth, bleeding, and are dangerous for the fetus and pregnant woman.
The placenta is the organ that connects the fetus to the mother’s uterus during pregnancy, helping to provide nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. According to Dr. Le Quang Hung, Fetal Medicine Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, abnormal placenta development leads to many health risks for the fetus and pregnant woman. Below are 5 common conditions.
Placental dysfunction
This is a condition in which the placenta does not provide enough oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. This can increase the risk of fetal growth restriction, leading to premature birth, stillbirth or other pregnancy complications.
Causes of placental dysfunction include a placenta that is too small, separated from the uterine lining, damage, and an abnormally shaped placenta. Some diseases of the mother such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, pre-eclampsia, infections, blood clotting… pregnant mothers have the habit of smoking, drinking alcohol, using over-the-counter drugs… can also hurt each other.
This disease has no obvious symptoms. If a pregnant woman has vaginal bleeding in the early stages of pregnancy, the fetus moves less, and the mother gains less weight, it may be a sign that the placenta is abnormal.
Placenta striker
Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta lies low, overflowing through the hole in the uterus after 28 weeks of pregnancy, instead of clinging to the upper part as usual, blocking the exit of the fetus during labor.
Some factors that increase the risk of the disease include multiple pregnancies (twins or more), mothers with multiple pregnancies, history of uterine fibroids, uterine scars, uterine structural abnormalities… Symptoms of Placenta praevia includes cramping and bleeding, usually appearing after week 20.
Dr. Hung said the disease affects the fetus, causing difficulty giving birth and cesarean section. Some severe cases lead to placenta accreta, placental abruption, premature birth, the mother loses a lot of blood, the newborn is underweight, respiratory failure… If the placenta cannot separate from the uterine lining, then The doctor must prescribe a hysterectomy, which means the woman is no longer able to get pregnant and give birth.
Doctor Hung advises pregnant women. Image: Tam Anh General Hospital
Placental abruption
The disease occurs when the placenta completely or partially separates from the uterine wall before birth. This condition reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients, limits the development of the fetus, leading to premature birth or stillbirth. Placental abruption is one of the common obstetric emergencies, which can endanger the lives of mother and baby if not detected promptly.
Placental abruption can be caused by abdominal trauma, multiple pregnancies, history of placental abruption, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Infection, uterine fibroids, blood clotting disorders, premature rupture of membranes, and chorioamnionitis are also causes. The most common sign is vaginal bleeding with cramps in the last three months of pregnancy. Other symptoms such as abdominal pain, back pain, prolonged and intense uterine contractions, less fetal movement…
Complications include premature birth, intrauterine growth restriction, fetal brain injury due to lack of oxygen, stillbirth, maternal anemia, hemorrhage, kidney failure…
Placenta accreta
Placenta accreta is a condition in which part or all of the placenta invades and does not separate from the uterine wall after birth. Depending on the degree of attachment of the placenta, the disease is divided into three types: the placenta adheres to the surface of the uterus, the placenta adheres deeply to the muscle of the uterus, and the placenta penetrates the uterine wall and invades other organs such as the bladder and intestines. .
According to Dr. Hung, pregnant women who have had a cesarean section, uterine surgery, multiple pregnancies, pregnancies using in vitro fertilization, placentas in abnormal positions in the uterus… have a higher risk. Pregnant women with placenta accreta often have no obvious symptoms. In some cases, there may be bleeding in the last trimester of pregnancy and pelvic pain due to the placenta pressing on the bladder or other organs.
Complications of the disease include premature birth, newborns with respiratory failure, damage to the mother’s uterus and surrounding organs, excessive bleeding, blood clots, loss of fertility due to hysterectomy, and infertility. lung, kidney failure, death.
Placental edema
A placenta has an average size of 2-4 cm and weighs about 400-600 g. However, in unusual cases, the placenta doubles in size or more, called placental edema. This condition occurs when the placenta accumulates too much water, increasing the size and thickness of the placenta, reducing the quality of the placenta’s function, and reducing the source of nutrients and oxygen provided to the fetus. Pregnant mothers with high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, infections are likely to get sick leading to fetal distress, premature birth, pre-eclampsia, hemorrhage…
Ultrasound can determine the location, size, thickness, and structure of the placenta. Doctors recommend that pregnant women need to follow a regular prenatal checkup schedule to detect fetal abnormalities early and have timely treatment.