Placental Abruption

Several complications might occur during pregnancy, such as placental abruption, which is a serious condition and might be life-threatening in some cases.

Placental abruption

The placenta is a temporary organ that forms during pregnancy to connect the fetus to the uterus in order to transfer nutrition and oxygen to the fetus through the umbilical cord. In the case of abruptio placentae, the placenta detaches from the uterus before the time of delivery.

Placental abruption could be partial or complete, and it occurs in around 1% of all pregnancies, mostly in the third trimester.

Causes and risk factors leading to placental abruption

The cause of placental abruption isn’t usually known, but the possible causes might be injury or trauma to the abdomen.

The following factors increase the risk of placental separation:

• Being older than 40 years old.
• Being pregnant with more than one fetus.
• Uterine fibroids.
• Smoking.
• Using recreational drugs.
• Chronic hypertension.
• Infection inside the uterus (chorioamnionitis).
• The water breaks early (premature rupture of membranes).
• Blood clotting disorder (thrombophilia).

Symptoms of placental abruption

Symptoms of placental abruption might vary, and they usually include:

• Vaginal bleeding, and sometimes it doesn’t occur.
• Uterine contractions.
• Uterine rigidity or tenderness.
• Abdominal and back pain, which is usually sudden and sharp.

Complications of placental abruption

For the mother:

• Problems with blood clotting.
• Hemorrhage.
• Anemia.
• The need for blood transfusion.
• Kidney failure.
• Hysterectomy in rare cases.

For the fetus:

• Premature birth.
• Low weight birth.
• Restricted growth.
• Brain issues due to the lack of oxygen.
• Stillbirth.

Diagnosis of placental abruption

• Physical exam.
• Blood and urine.
• Ultrasound test.

Treatment of placental abruption

• It’s not possible to reattach the placenta after it has been separated. Managing placental abruption depends on the severity and the pregnancy age.
• If the baby isn’t close to term and the placental abruption is mild, the patient is kept under monitoring until delivery time, but if the separation is severe, immediate delivery is required. While if the baby is close to term and the placental separation is mild, vaginal delivery might be applied, but if it’s severe, a C-section is used.