Your pregnancy: placental abruption
USUALLY located at the upper part of the uterus, the placenta is an organ responsible for providing nutrients and oxygen to the foetus. It also removes waste products and generally detaches from the uterus after childbirth. However, Dr Keisha Buchanan, obstetrician-gynaecologist at ICON Medical Centre, Musgrave Professional Suites, said that in some rare cases the placenta detaches from the uterus lining causing what is called a placental abruption.
A placental abruption may be triggered by a plethora of issues, including physical trauma, underlying medical conditions, and lifestyle choices. However, in many instances, the cause is out of the immediate control of the pregnant woman.
“High blood pressure, maternal trauma such as a trauma to the abdomen (for example motor vehicle accidents or domestic violence), cigarette smoking, cocaine use, alcohol consumption, in addition to cases where the umbilical cord is short, all increase the risk of placental abruption,” Dr Buchanan advised.
She noted that a placental abruption usually presents with vaginal bleeding after the fifth month, abdominal and back pain, tenderness over the womb, premature contractions or labour, foetal distress as signified by abnormal foetal heartbeat, and may even result in the sudden death of the foetus.
Importantly, Dr Buchanan notes that placental abruption may not present with any of the above signs such as vaginal bleeding, which is the most common noted sign. In other instances the back or abdominal pain may be mild or not experienced at all, which further exacerbates complications associated with the condition.
“The complications of placental abruption include foetal death, foetal distress, premature delivery, rupture of the uterus, heavy maternal bleeding, maternal shock, a need for emergency caesarian section, and loss of the womb in an attempt to control the bleeding,” Dr Buchanan advised.
She noted that while the condition is not always preventable, the expectant mother could take a number of preventative steps such as controlling the blood pressure, undergoing rehab treatments to stop cocaine or crack addiction, cessation of cigarette smoking, and considering medical alternatives in cases where she suffers from thrombophilia since associated medications could cause an abruption.
Dr Buchanan cautioned expectant mothers who experience symptoms such as vaginal bleeding, premature contractions and severe abdominal pains in pregnancy to seek immediate medical attention since these signs suggest not only the possibility of placental abruption, but could be signs of other serious underlying problems that could require urgent medical attention.
These conditions, which she said sometimes mimic the symptoms associated with placental abruption, include placenta previa (a low-lying placenta), labour, vaginal tears, vaginal infection, appendicitis, an inflamed gallbladder, and rarely, vaginal or uterine cancers.
