lowlying placenta?

Question

i have a low lying placenta and was wondering what you guys think my chances are of it correcting itself? I know we are not supposed to have sex but ive had sex like 2 times since ive had it is that a problem? and also if anyone can give me advice on this and see if anyone has gotten a csection because of it. thank you 26wks today and i go in for another ultrasound on the 15th

Answer 1

I would say it all depends on how low the placenta is lying, and if it is fully covering the cervix or not. The reason for not having sex, is that you are at high risk of preterm labour. You are 26 weeks, so this is still way too early for babe and could be detrimental. It is a small sacrifice to pay. Just wait until your ultrasound on the 15th and then you will know much more. FYI, some people have to go on bed rest due to this, so just be careful to not overdo it and have your baby come out too early! Good luck to you!

Answer 2

i know 2 people who had low lying placentas at their 20 week scan. Both had more scans nearer their due date. One had their placenta move up and had a normal vaginal birth, the other had to have a c-section as the placenta was too low and would possibly block the birth canal during a vaginal birth. All i can say is be prepared for either eventuality. It all depends on whether the placenta remains low, or whether it moves high enough to not cause any problems.

Good luck, and i hope you get scans nearer your due date that will put your mind at rest,

x x x x x

PS, sex can cause severe bleeding in women with low lying placentas that are covering the birth canal so if i were you, i would avoid sex until you are given the all-clear!

Answer 3

It could be a "low lying placenta" or "placenta previa" .. I had this!
(I'm not sure if you've had any spotting or anything .. but if you do .. this should ease your mind)
I started bleeding bright red blood at 15 weeks .. went to the ER (hystrical, because I thought I was losing my baby) .. they did an ultrasound, baby was perfect and the bleeding was because I have a "low lying placenta". I then (for 4 weeks) continued spotting brown. It does not affect the baby whatsoever. The doctor said 96% of people who have a "low-lying" placenta in early pregnancy will clear itself up and will be perfect by full term and will have a normal vaginal delivery. Worse case scenerio is that if the placenta doesn't move up (from your uterus expanding as your tummy grows) .. then in that 4% you will have to have a c-section. But you will still have a healthy baby :)
I just (last week) went in for my 20 week ultrasound .. and no more low-lying placenta!! it's completely normal!! no spotting .. nothing! it was as if I never had it :)
I've known SEVERAL women who had this (some spotted, some didn't) and EVERY one of them cleared up by term and deliverd their babies vaginally! It's so very common in early pregnancy. Don't stress about it. I stressed myself retarted when it happend to me. I'm now 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant with a very healthy baby boy!
Hang in there .. and relax :)

good luck! God bless!

Answer 4

Your chances should be pretty good of it correcting itself, I think it is something like 1 in 20 who have a low lying placenta and most of these move up naturally. My first pregancy showed a low lying placenta at 22 weeks, but it had moved by 36 weeks. A friend of mine however had to go in for a c section.

Unless your midwife had advised you not to have sex, go on and enjoy the fun. If you have been advised not to it is because you can cause bleeding and in severe cases placental abruption, where the placenta comes away from the wall of the uterus. Very bad so follow the midwife's advice.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I have a low lying placenta. It actually started as placenta previa. So yes it can move up on its own. If you are advised not to have sex, don't risk it. You need to ask if the dr means no sex or no orgasm, because you can find other ways to please each other, even if it is just cuddling and holding each other, If the cervix is not covered then more than likely you should be able to deliver naturally. They will keep a close check on you with ultrasound. I just looked at it as a way to watch my baby growing inside of me. Good luck. I know it can be a little scary.

Answer 6

I had a low lying placenta and i was told not to have sex.But i did i was really worried afterwards. I look back and think how stupid i was i could have lost my baby. My advice 2 you is if there as been any blood since having sex go to your gp. its not long before your next scan and by then it might have corrected its self.Mine did and the best thing about it is you can get another bunch of clear scan pictures

Answer 7

i think having sex with a low lying placenta is a bad idea as it can affect the placenta and cause bleeding which can be risky for you and your unborn baby.as the pregnancy progresses the placenta normally moves up on its own but if its still low at a certain point then they will offer you a c-section as again its safer you and your unborn baby.that is also the reason that you are due another scan,so that they can check the position of the placenta.

Answer 8

A friend of mine had a low lying placenta, it never corrected itself and she carried her daughter full term. She weighed like 3 lbs but she's doing fine today. You should do what the doctor tells you, they deal with these type of situations all the time. Be careful, you don't want to risk anything happening to the baby.

Answer 9

Low-lying placenta
In the majority of pregnancies, the placenta forms in the top half of the womb. In some cases, however, it forms in the lower half, so that it lies partly or completely over the cervix, blocking the baby's way out of the womb. This is known as a low-lying placenta (or placenta praevia).

The position of your placenta can be shown by an ultrasound scan. If you have a scan in the first half of your pregnancy that shows that your placenta is low-lying, this isn't usually any cause for concern. As many as one in four placentas may be low-lying in mid-pregnancy. The likelihood is that as your womb gets bigger, the placenta will move up (it doesn’t actually ‘move’ as such, but as the womb grows, the area to which the placenta is attached stretches upwards, away from the cervix). If your placenta is shown to be low-lying in mid-pregnancy, you’re likely to be offered another scan later on (usually around 32-34 weeks) to check that it has moved. Only 0.5 per cent -1 per cent of placentas remain low-lying at the end of pregnancy. However, when this happens, it can cause problems.

What problems does a low-lying placenta cause?
Will it harm my baby?
What can be done about it?
What if I don't want to have a scan?
What problems does it cause?

The main problem that a low-lying placenta can cause is bright red bleeding from the vagina during the later stages of pregnancy. The bleeding may stop and start at first, and is painless. It happens because the lower part of your womb is starting to change shape and thin out in readiness for your baby to be born, but because the placenta can't stretch in the same way, it peels away at the edges, which causes bleeding.

At first, the bleeding is usually slight, but there's a risk that it might become heavy at any time without warning. Heavy bleeding may be accompanied by signs of shock - paleness, sweating and an increased pulse.

If you haven’t had a scan that has shown the position of your placenta and you experience this kind of bleeding, it may be an indication that the placenta is low-lying. Another sign that you might have a low-lying placenta is that your baby is lying in an awkward position in your womb - for example from side to side, or at an angle.

Will it harm my baby?

Having a low-lying placenta won't in itself harm your baby. If it causes bleeding, the blood comes from the mother, not from the baby, although it's occasionally possible that the baby might lose some blood too. Sometimes, however, if the bleeding is serious, it's necessary to deliver the baby early.

What can be done about it?

Unless the low-lying placenta causes bleeding, there is nothing that needs to be done about it. However, if you have any bleeding at any time, consult your doctor immediately. If he or she suspects that the bleeding is due to a low-lying placenta, you will be advised to have an ultrasound scan. If the diagnosis is confirmed by the scan, the treatment will depend on exactly where the placenta is lying, how many weeks pregnant you are, and how much bleeding you've had.

If the placenta is lying across the cervix, there's a very high risk that you'll experience more bleeding, which could be extremely heavy and put both you and your baby's lives at risk. Because of this you'll almost certainly be advised to stay in hospital until your baby is born. There's still a possibility that the placenta may move away from the cervix, but this becomes less likely as your pregnancy advances. You may be offered repeated scans to check whether the placenta is moving or not. If it doesn't move, the only way that your baby can be born is by Caesarean. This will usually be carried out at around 38 weeks.

If the placenta is only partly over the cervix, you'll probably still be advised to stay in hospital for the rest of your pregnancy because of the risk that you might bleed at any time. You'll need to discuss with your doctor whether to have the baby normally or by Caesarean. Some doctors will always recommend a Caesarean because of the risk of bleeding with a normal birth.

What if I don't want to have a scan?

You don't have to have a scan if you don't want to. However, if you've had any painless bright red bleeding, this does indicate that you may have a low-lying placenta, and you'll be advised to stay in hospital in case you bleed more.

A low-lying placenta can also be diagnosed by an internal examination, but because there's a risk that this can cause heavy bleeding, it's only ever carried out in a hospital operating theatre, with preparations for surgery already done, so that the baby can be immediately delivered by Caesarean if necessary. For this reason, an internal examination will not be carried out unless the baby is mature enough to be born.

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Answer 10

your placenta will stay where it is, however when your womb stretches it may follow the movement and become high enough for you to give birth naturally.
I have been told my placenta is low-lying too, although no body told me I shouldn't have sex! I am 27 weeks and have a growth monitering scan next week to see if it is moving up with my womb. My midwives and consultants do not seem to worried about it so Im not either.
Good luck with baby.