The placenta is a special organ that forms during pregnancy. Starting from the 7th week, it provides the fetus with nutrition, oxygen, with its help waste products are excreted. In other words, the placenta is a very important organ that ensures the intrauterine life of your unborn baby.
A placenta whose attachment is low - how is it?
It is normal if the placenta is located in the upper part of the uterus (near its bottom). Pathology is its location in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the cervix (internal pharynx). The low position of the placenta during pregnancy is the case when the placenta is attached at a distance of about 5 cm from the entrance to the cervix. If attachment occurred at the entrance to the cervix, up to 5 cm from the internal pharynx, this condition is called placenta previa. It can be lateral, marginal or complete, depending on how much the placenta covers the area of the internal pharynx. Low attachment of the placenta and its presentation are two different things, the second condition is considered a more serious pathology and requires more attention. While the low location of the placenta during pregnancy with the approach of the term of delivery can completely cease to be a problem. The fact is that according to statistics, low placenta attachment occurs in approximately 30% of women in early pregnancy, and after the 20th week the uterus begins to grow intensively, and the placenta usually “migrates” upward, and only in one out of two hundred cases remains in place , near the cervix. And yet, in spite of such favorable forecasts, you should not neglect your health and let everything go by chance, with hope "maybe it will resolve." If at the first ultrasound you determined a low location of the placenta during pregnancy, this is a reason for serious observation by a doctor throughout the entire period of gestation.
Why did this happen?
It is not always easy to determine the causes of this pathology. Of course, for those who have been diagnosed with this condition, for the most part, the reasons are not so important. It is important to conduct adequate treatment, if necessary, and give birth to a healthy child. But for your attending physician, it is important to know whether you have previously had a cesarean section, or any uterine surgery, because the main reason is a violation of the uterine wall. Most often, the placenta, the attachment of which is below the permissible norm, is found in those who smoke, have abortions, who have had miscarriages, frequent inflammation of the genital organs, heart disease, kidneys, etc. Hence the conclusion, take care of yourself, take care of your health before pregnancy.
Is it possible to determine this pathology without an ultrasound?
The main method that diagnoses a low placenta during pregnancy is ultrasound, since the symptoms of this pathology are not always pronounced. A woman may have scarce spotting, accompanied by unpleasant (not painful) sensations in the lower abdomen, hemoglobin is almost always reduced in the blood.
What to do, how to treat low placenta attachment?
Without unnecessary emotions and panic, you should regularly visit a doctor who is monitoring the pregnancy, the main treatment in this condition is constant monitoring. When identifying complications life-threatening to the fetus’s life, it is advisable to hospitalize the woman, protect her from physical exertion and emotional experiences, and ensure a good nutrition. If you do not comply with bed rest and all the recommendations of a doctor, you can lose a baby (there is a great risk of miscarriage), since the low position of the placenta is often accompanied by fetal hypoxia. At the 36th week of pregnancy, you will be asked to undergo an additional ultrasound, according to the results of which the doctor will determine how the birth will take place (alone or cesarean). In any case, tune in only for a positive result, because very soon you will meet with your baby.