Understanding Placenta Previa

The placenta, a sac-like organ, functions as your baby's food source, oxygen source, and organ of elimination throughout pregnancy.

It may become too big and obstruct your cervix, the entry to your vagina, in the last few months of pregnancy. It's known as placenta previa.

Placenta previa, which prevents vaginal birth by covering the cervix (opening of the uterus), occurs throughout pregnancy. It may result in bleeding and need a cesarean birth.

It is uncommon in the first and second trimesters, but in the third trimester, it affects roughly 1 in 200 women. Usually, it goes away on its own.

During the third trimester, there may be painless vaginal bleeding and contractions. If you have any of these symptoms, you should immediately contact your doctor. If the bleeding is serious, you should also visit the hospital immediately.

Your doctor will perform an ultrasound to look for placenta previa. Then, to check whether the situation improves, you may need more ultrasounds. Although serious bleeding and fetal mortality are risks, it is often safe to deliver a baby with placenta previa.

The placenta, an organ that resembles a sac, feeds the growing baby with nutrients and oxygen from the mother's blood throughout pregnancy. It also cleans the baby's blood of waste materials.

During the second trimester of a healthy pregnancy, the placenta descends the uterus and passes over or very close to the cervix. The cervix enlarges (opens), enabling the baby to pass from the uterus into the vagina.

However, the procedure might be hampered if the placenta is above or near the cervix. Placenta previa is a disorder that may happen in one out of every 200 pregnancies.

Most women who have placenta previa go on to have safe pregnancies. However, it is a disorder that may lead to significant bleeding before, during, and after childbirth. This might put you and your unborn child at risk for significant health issues, such as stillbirth or perinatal death.

Seeing your doctor as soon as you suspect you could have placenta previa is crucial since it might have major consequences. Your doctor will do ultrasounds to assess if the placenta is enclosing your cervix.

A bag called the placenta develops within your uterus to provide your unborn child with nourishment, oxygen, and the removal of waste materials from their blood. The placenta is often located distant from the cervix in the top portion of the uterine wall.

However, in placenta previa, the placenta is positioned low in the uterus and partly or entirely encloses the uterus' (cervix's) entrance into the birth canal. This may result in a clogged delivery route and excessive bleeding.

90% of placenta previa sufferers have an independent resolution. Your doctor could do further ultrasounds on the other women to monitor the issue as it worsens. If the issue worsens, your doctor will plan a cesarean birth.

Your uterus swells and expands throughout the first few weeks of pregnancy. The placenta opens to your womb at the bottom of your uterus as it travels up and away from the cervix.

Your unborn child grows from an embryo to a roughly one-pound fetus during this period. Major blood veins, the heart, and other organs start to take shape.

The placenta expands and increases to provide oxygen, nourishment, and waste removal for the growing baby. Additionally, the placenta transfers gases from your baby's blood to its blood, including carbon dioxide.

A condition known as placenta previa occurs when the placenta sometimes completely or partially covers the cervix. This may result in heavy bleeding during labor and increase your chance of having a premature baby.