what is placenta previa? Is it like a period?

Question

is a placenta previa like a period?

Answer 1

I think it is when you are pregnant and the placenta starts to grow over the opening of the cervix, making childbirth difficult.

**socal**

Answer 2

No.

Try to envision the uterus, which is kind of corked at the bottom by the cervix. After the cervix is the vagina, where the baby is delivered from.

In the uterus during pregnancy, there is a baby, and there is the placenta, which attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. Most of the time, it attaches higher up so that it's attached but it's out of the way. Occasionally, though, it is over the cervix, either completely or partially. If the placenta is even partially over the cervix (where the baby has to come out of), it's called placenta previa.

Most of the time, placenta previa is corrected on its own during the pregnancy, when the placenta kind of moves up as the uterus expands. However, if the placenta stays situated over the cervix, delivery is dangerous to both the mother and the baby. The baby would have to basically push through the placenta, or push it out before the baby comes out. When that happens, the woman would begin bleeding out. Since the baby is receiving its blood and oxygen from the mother through the umbilical cord, if the mother is losing a lot of blood, the baby is losing a lot of blood.

This is why many women who have placenta previa late in pregnancy have c-sections, to get the baby out without disturbing the placenta until it's time to remove it, too.

Answer 3

When this happens, the baby's placenta is sitting way too low in the uterus. My friend had this and the placenta was right over the cervix and the placenta would have delivered first, before the baby. This is super dangerous. It can cause bleeding and my friend went into labor early. She had to have a C-section so the nutrient supply to the baby wouldn't be cut off.

Answer 4

Placenta previa is a condition that may occur during pregnancy when the placenta implants in the lower part of the uterus and is close to or covering the cervical opening to the vagina (birth canal).

There can be many complications so see your doctor.

Answer 5

If you have placenta previa, it means that your placenta is lying unusually low in your uterus, next to or covering your cervix. The placenta is the pancake-shaped organ — normally located near the top of the uterus — that supplies your baby with nutrients through the umbilical cord.

Answer 6

Background: Placenta previa is an obstetric complication that occurs in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It may cause serious morbidity and mortality to both fetus and mother. It is one of the leading causes of vaginal bleeding in the second and third trimesters.

Placenta previa is generally defined as the implantation of the placenta over or near the internal os of the cervix.


Total placenta previa occurs when the internal cervical os is completely covered by the placenta.

Partial placenta previa occurs when the internal os is partially covered by the placenta.

Marginal placenta previa occurs when the placenta is at the margin of the internal os.

Low-lying placenta previa occurs when the placenta is implanted in the lower uterine segment. In this variation, the edge of the placenta is near the internal os but does not reach it.

Pathophysiology: The exact etiology of placenta previa is unknown. The condition may be multifactorial and is postulated to be related to multiparity, multiple gestations, advanced maternal age, previous cesarean delivery, previous abortion, and possibly, smoking.

Unlike first trimester bleeding, second and third trimester bleeding is usually secondary to abnormal placental implantation.


Frequency:


In the US: Placenta previa complicates approximately 5 of 1,000 deliveries and has a mortality rate of 0.03%. Recent data recorded from 1989-1997 indicated placenta previa in 2.8 per 1000 live births in the United States.
Mortality/Morbidity:

The maternal mortality rate secondary to placenta previa is approximately 0.03%. Babies born to women with placenta previa tend to weigh less than babies born to women without placenta previa. The risk of neonatal mortality is higher for placenta previa babies versus pregnancies without placenta previa.
The great majority of deaths are related to uterine bleeding and the complication of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.
In early pregnancy, a partial previa can often self-correct as the uterus enlarges and the placental site moves cephalad.
Race: Significance of race is somewhat controversial. Some studies suggest an increased risk of placenta previa among African Americans and Asians, while other studies cite no difference.

Age: Women older than 30 years are 3 times more likely to have placenta previa than women younger than 20 years are.




CLINICAL Section 3 of 10
Author Information Introduction Clinical Differentials Workup Treatment Medication Follow-up Miscellaneous Bibliography



History:

Vaginal bleeding
It is apt to occur suddenly during the third trimester.
Bleeding is usually bright red and painless. Some degree of uterine irritability is present in about 20% of the cases.
Initial bleeding is not usually profuse enough to cause death; it spontaneously ceases, only to recur later.
The first bleed occurs (on average) at 27-32 weeks' gestation.
Contractions may or may not occur simultaneously with the bleeding.
Physical:

Profuse hemorrhage
Hypotension
Tachycardia
Soft and nontender uterus
Normal fetal heart tones (usually)
Vaginal and rectal examinations
Do not perform these examinations in the ED because they may provoke uncontrollable bleeding.
Perform examinations in the operating room under double set-up conditions (ie, ready for emergent cesarean delivery).
Causes:

Prior uterine insult or injury
Risk factors
Prior previa (4-8%)
First subsequent pregnancy following a cesarean delivery
Multiparity (5% in grand multiparous patients)
Advanced maternal age
Multiple gestations
Prior induced abortion
Smoking

Answer 7

Its when the placenta is over your cervix. You will not be able to deliver your child vaginally because of risk of uterine rupture. You will need a C-Section.

And yes, some women do bleed because of placenta previa.