One of the complications that occur during pregnancy is premature placental abruption. The placenta (“baby place”) is the tissue that forms during pregnancy and helps the baby get the nutrients and oxygen he needs.
If everything goes fine, the "baby place" is attached to the inner wall of the uterus very tightly. However, as a result of any pathology, placental abruption may occur prematurely, which is fraught with:
- The birth of a premature baby who will have a small weight.
- The fact that the mother will lose a lot of blood.
This situation negatively affects both the mother and the child, sometimes even deaths can be observed.
Until now, it has not been precisely established what causes the development of this pathology. However, placental abruption can occur, according to doctors, under the influence of the following factors:
- High blood pressure. According to the observations of doctors, this reason is the most common. Moreover, in this case it does not really matter when a woman has hypertension - before or during pregnancy.
- If a woman gives birth not for the first time, and during the last gestation, she already had placental abruption.
- Smoking and drug addiction (particularly cocaine use).
- If a woman had uterine fibroids removed, resulting in a suture. The fact is that the placenta can be fixed in this area.
- Uterine injuries of various nature.
- Rupture of the fetal bladder, which occurs prematurely for a day or more. The risk is increased in the presence of an inflammatory process in the uterus.
Placental abruption, the symptoms of which we will now describe, requires immediate medical attention. Only he can determine the severity of the disease. So, the main signs of this pathology are as follows:
- The presence of vaginal bleeding of any intensity, which depends on where it opened and how long it lasts.
- The uterus is painful and hard.
If you have the following symptoms, you must call an ambulance:
- Sharp, sharp abdominal pain.
- Heavy bleeding.
- State of shock: dizziness, feeling that you are losing consciousness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting.
Remember that the degree of intensity of vaginal bleeding does not indicate the severity of the detachment. The fact is that even insignificant discharge can lead to big problems. There are situations when blood simply accumulates between the wall of the uterus and the placenta.
When you go to the doctor, he checks the baby’s heartbeat, prescribes an unscheduled ultrasound and a clinical blood test, where hemoglobin readings are of particular importance. If the doctor has reasons to suspect that you have premature placental abruption, he may refer you to hospital for further diagnosis.
The treatment that is prescribed in such a situation depends on certain factors, in particular, on:
- The severity of the detachment.
- The physical condition of the fetus.
- The term of pregnancy.
If your placenta has exfoliated slightly, this is not a serious problem. It will only require careful monitoring of your condition throughout the subsequent pregnancy. If the pathology is moderate or severe, most likely, urgent hospitalization will be necessary. Very rarely, caesarean sections are recommended to save the lives of both mother and baby.
Remember that if placental abruption occurred once, the likelihood that it will occur during the next pregnancy is very high. In order to reduce the risk of developing this pathology, you can not smoke, take drugs, you need to do normalization of pressure, take vitamins that contain folic acid.