Placenta Praevia in Pregnancy

Pregnancy when carried to term without any complication is
A miracle of sort. Some pregnant women bleed and if not
Well attended to may bleed to death. So, bleeding during
Pregnancy must not be treated with kid gloves.

If the placenta is abnormally sited close to uterine outlet
Along the baby’s passageway, mother may bleed before
Or during labor. This is often associated with abdominal
Pain with vaginal bleeding.


This phenomenon is called placenta praevia .It is a terrible
Complication of pregnancy. Some placenta praevia however
May not bleed because they are located in the lower part of
The uterus away from the uterine opening.

Bleeding may be so profuse that .the well being of the baby
May be jeopardized. If on the other hand the clotted blood
Remains for too long in the mother it may impair the ability
Of the blood in the circulation to clot, hence a condition
Called Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy may
Ensue causing severe bleeding from all the body orifices.

Abdominal ultrasound taken early in the pregnancy
will discover this problem on time. If not discovered on time,
spotting or bleeding of any magnitude should be treated
with aggression and your family doctor should be seen
on time.


Treatment modality differs depending on the gestational
Age of the baby. If the baby by reason of gestational age
Is not viable enough for extra uterine life, some conservative
Methods of treatment would be employed. Bed rest is always
Encouraged. Drugs that normally prevent labour (tocolytics)
Are also useful.

If the fetus has reached the stage of maturation.
Vaginal delivery may be allowed if the placenta on ultrasonography
is not occluding birth passage way. I f otherwise, caesarean section
will be used for the delivery of the baby.