A placental abruption, sometimes known by its nearly identical medical term placenta abruption, is a problem that some pregnant women face when their placenta, the organ that encases the embryo during gestation within the mother and supplies it with food, blood, and oxygen, pulls away from the inside wall of the uterus before the child is ready to be born. Typically occurring in the third trimester, placental abruptions are almost always a risk from the 20
th week of pregnancy onwards.
The Symptoms of Placental Abruption
There are several well-known symptoms that are associated with cases of placental abruption. One of the most common is either light or moderate vaginal bleeding. Other signs that indicate an expectant mother may have a placental abruption include pain or soreness or that she notices her baby is moving less than usual within the womb. Additionally, some women experiencing a placental abruption may show signs of early labor such as aches and pains in the lower back or even regular contractions.
The Causes of Placental Abruption
While medical science, especially when it comes to gynecology and obstetrics, is fairly advanced, there is still no known definitive cause of placental abruptions. Despite this, there are many common risk factors that are associated with placental abruption, including smoking during pregnancy or having high blood pressure. With the medical condition known as preeclampsia causing high blood pressure specifically in pregnant woman, high blood pressure is an especially high risk factor for placental abruptions and other complications. Other risk factors for placental abruptions include suffering physical trauma to the uterus or the midriff.
The Results of Placental Abruption and How to Treat It
Placental abruption, especially in cases where there is a large amount of bleeding, can have some very serious consequences including leading to premature birth or extreme loss of blood in the mother. With no way to reattach a placenta that has prematurely separated from the uterine wall, treating placental abruptions are extremely difficult; in moderate to severe cases of placental abruption, doctors will usually recommend hospitalization and induced labor as soon as possible, except in cases where the fetus is not developed enough to survive outside the womb. In these cases, medications may be administered to the child in utero to speed the development of its lungs to increase its ability to survive in the event that an emergency delivery is needed.
Prevention of Placental Abruption
Because treating placental abruptions is next to impossible, medical professionals recommend that expectant mothers do their best to prevent an occurrence in the first place. More often than not this means pregnant women should avoid all drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and street drugs; the only exception to this would be doctor-prescribed medicines that have been discussed with your obstetrician or family doctor.
Other precautions mothers-to-be can take involve reducing the risk of trauma by avoiding situations where they could fall and be injured, or situations where their safety is at risk such as driving in a car without fastening their seat belt. Close monitoring of an expectant mother’s blood pressure is also important to avoid the onset of preeclampsia, which can trigger not just a placental abruption but any number of possibly dangerous conditions for a new mother and her unborn child. Finally, many doctors and midwives recommend pregnant women increase their intake of folic acid, one of the essential vitamins that play an important role in supporting the health of women during their pregnancy.
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