Placenta Previa is a potentially life threatening pregnancy complication in which the placenta totally or partially blocks the cervix. The cervix is the pathway that is between the vagina and the uterus, so Placenta Previa can be very serious. It can cause severe bleeding both before and during delivery. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here
Usually, if a woman is diagnosed with Placenta Previa early in her pregnancy, it is not really a big deal. The placenta usually shifts and moves out of the way of the cervix before it is time for delivery. However, it is when the placenta continues to block the cervix near delivery that Placenta Previa becomes a life threatening problem for both mother and baby.
If a woman is diagnosed with Placenta Previa, and the placenta is still blocking the cervix when it is closer to time for the baby will be born, she will most likely have to have a c-section to safely deliver the baby. It is also common for women who have Placenta Previa to be placed on strict bed rest as well.
Most of the time, these women are put on “pelvic rest” as well, which means that there is to be no intercourse or vaginal exams for the remainder of the pregnancy. Women with Placenta Previa also are likely to have painless vaginal bleeding during the third trimester. Sometimes, if the bleeding is severe, you might have to have an emergency c-section. Other times, the doctors will be able to stop the bleeding and hold off delivery until the baby is more mature.
Doctors say that Placenta Previa is caused when the placenta implants itself in the lower portion of the uterus rather than the upper portion. As the placenta gets bigger, it begins to grow over the uterus. If a woman has an abnormally shaped uterus, or a extremely large uterus, as with multiple pregnancies, she might be at a greater risk of developing Placenta Previa.
Also, women with lots of uterine scarring are more likely to experience Placenta Previa as well. Placenta Previa is also more common among Asian women, women who have already had more than one baby, are smokers, or are age 35 and older.
Complications with Placenta Previa include hemorrhage during pregnancy or delivery, and preterm birth, since it can prompt an emergency c-section. It can be very difficult to cope and deal with Placenta Previa, since it can really throw a wrench in a woman’s pregnancy and birth plans and make everything a bit more complicated.
Placenta Previa has really gotten a lot of publicity recently, since Tori Spelling suffered from it during her most recent pregnancy, and almost died during her Placenta Previa scare.
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