# placental previa, worry vs. not worry??



## greymama (May 30, 2003)

I am 22 weeks and an had my level 2 ultrasound today. My baby is perfectly fine however it turns our I have placental previa. My OB practice is really great and very laid back about birth and pregnancy. (For example, my 15-month old son was born c-section. When I found out I was preggers again I had heard from other people that since it was so soon after the birth of my son that I'd probably have to have a c/s again. But my drs. have all been encouraging me to have a VBAC, when I ask for the pros and cons of each all I get are the PROS for VBAC and the CONS for c/s.)

*Sorry, back to original topic.* After my ultrasound today the doc told me that I'd have to have another ultrasound at 32 weeks to check the placenta, but 95% of the time they correct themselves. If I didn't, they would need to do a c/s for delivery, but for now I was to only worry about continuing to grow my healthy baby, but call if there's any bleeding. I left the office completely at ease and sure this would correct itself, but if it didn't, I wasn't afraid of the c/s. THEN I made the mistake of visiting another pregnancy/parenting board and reading about other expecting moms with previa... bedrest for months, not being able to do ANYTHING except a quick pee and then back to bed, c-sections at 32 weeks... now I'm a little freaked. I have been so relaxed about this pregnancy, I hate to spend the next 4 months worrying.

Should I calm down or really take this seriously?


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## mistisa (Sep 20, 2002)

i was told the same thing as you. but when i went back for the follow up, everything was fine. i wouldnt worry if they told you not to worry. just take care of yourself and hopefully you will be with the other 95% of us who turned out to not have it. good luck!


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## watermamma (Dec 29, 2003)

I think what you were seeing on other websites was true placenta previa, covering the cervix, later in pregnancy, and mom's experiencing bleeding & complications from it.

Did they tell you if your placenta is a low-lying placenta or partially or entirelly covering the opening of your cervix (os)? I have heard of them often telling moms they have placenta previa, when they actually have a low-lying placenta not covering the os.

They are right that most clear up on their own, it's very common to have low-lying placenta at 22 weeks. If you are still worried, call your provider and talk it through!

Take care momma


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## 3_opihi (Jan 10, 2003)

What you probably have is marginal placenta previa. This is where part of the placenta is touching the cervix - but not completely covering it, which would be true placenta previa. It's fairly common,and can cause some bleeding. If you continue to bleed you might be put on bedrest depending on your doctor. It usually corrects itself between 28-32 weeks.

I had it with my first pregnancy. The bleeding was scary, but it was no big deal. It had corrected itself by about 30 weeks. Of course, true placenta previa is another story, pretty serious, and usually doesn't correct itself.


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

Yes there are degrees of placenta previa - partial, marginal, and complete.

Yes, they usually correct themselves toward the end of pregnancy.

Did your doctor tell you that often placenta previa often occurs because the placenta, which we know from doing nearly universal ultrasounds on every pregnant woman, does move around during pregnancy, and that it could become "stuck" on any scar tissue from a previous surgery on the uterus, such as a previous caesarean section?

This happened to my own sister; her first was a breech with FTP and then had her first caesarean; her second delivery was a placenta previa, marginal, and she had a second caesarean; the baby was also a tranverse lie, a scapular presentation.

The high rate of caesarean sections in the last thirty years has seen a statistically higher incidence of placenta previa in subsequent pregnancies in recent years.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

I'm saying this gently, but I think you need more information about your own situation before you decide whether to 'worry' or not.

The others are right, there are varying degrees of previa.

The current data is that only 50% of true complete previas diagnosed after 20wks end up resolving by term. So, if you have a complete previa, then your odds are 1:2 that it will move.

Obviously, partial and marginal previas have a greater chance of migrating out of the way, but those odds are reduced if you've had any type of surgery or scarring of your uterus (from c-sections, d&c's, etc).

I surely hope your dr put you on pelvic rest, which means no heavy lifting and no intercourse.

I had previa with my last pg. It was a complete at 20 and 26 weeks, a partial at 30 weeks and remained a marginal until I was term (although I did have a vaginal delivery without complications since the baby's head was lower than the placental edge). I stuck to my restrictions and didn't have any bleeding at all.

Previa _is_ serious. The fact that you were 22 weeks when your diagnosis was made means you probably do have a true previa. I'd ask your dr for more info and then go from there.

lisa

eta: I had no risk factors for developing previa, either. No previous uterine surgery, no smoking, no advanced maternal age, no IVF. Sometimes these things just happen.

Don't worry yourself to death, but yes, I'd be concerned if I were you. PM me if you ever need to talk. I've been there.


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## 3_opihi (Jan 10, 2003)

"Previa is serious. The fact that you were 22 weeks when your diagnosis was made means you probably do have a true previa. I'd ask your dr for more info and then go from there."

Yes, previa is serious, but this statement is not completely true. A high percentage of placentas are low lying or partially covering the os at 20-28 weeks. I think its something like half.

I see this as something thats probably completely normal in pregnancy. Its just another thing for doctors to get their panties in bunch about.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

Quote:

Yes, previa is serious, but this statement is not completely true. A high percentage of placentas are low lying or partially covering the os at 20-28 weeks. I think its something like half.
Actually, in the first and early second trimesters approx. half of placentas are low-lying, that's why a diagnosis of placenta previa BEFORE 20 weeks causes needless worry. Most of THOSE low-lying placentas DO correct themselves before 20 weeks and most of those do not involve bleeding incidents, bedrest, etc.

AFTER 20 weeks however, if a placenta is still low (be it complete, partial, or marginal), the odds of migration are way less. Complete previas after 20 weeks only have a 50/50 chance of moving.

Quote:

I see this as something thats probably completely normal in pregnancy. Its just another thing for doctors to get their panties in bunch about.
Previa isn't 'completely normal'. It is a potentially life-threatening condition for both the mother and the baby. Even the most laid back OB or midwife would tell you that. I will post some links later to back up my info. There seems to be lots of misinformation floating around here about what previa is and isn't.

lisa


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## 3_opihi (Jan 10, 2003)

Yes, COMPLETE placenta previa is life threatening. MARGINAL and PARTIAL are not and are usually gone between 28-32 weeks.

Jeez, you don't need to freak out. I believe that you're being a bit overdramatic about this. We don't even know if she has complete placenta previa. What I was talking about was partial or marginal, which is very common even at 20 weeks and USUALLY does go away.

"AFTER 20 weeks however, if a placenta is still low (be it complete, partial, or marginal), the odds of migration are way less. Complete previas after 20 weeks only have a 50/50 chance of moving."

That is simply wrong. 20 weeks is stillvery early. If the placenta is still low at between 28-32 weeks than you should start to worry. Consider this, most cases of low lying placenta aren't even diagnosed until 16-20 weeks when a routine ultrasound is done. It seems that you are only thiinking of cases of true placenta previa, when the whole discussion is about varying degrees. I think we all know what it is here. Don't insult our intellegence like that.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

I wasn't trying to insult anyone's intelligence. Good grief. Trust me, I am not an alarmist. I am pro-natural birth and no intervention all the way, it's just that I learned alot about pp since I just went through a previa pregnancy, and I see incorrect data about it all the time on this board. Sure, we all want to do what we can to promote natural birthing, but sometimes I see potentially serious things (like pp) being downplayed. I'm not saying that YOU were doing that, at all, I was just trying to share info that I had learned while doing my own research during my situation.

If you'll re-read my original post to the OP, you will see I was not trying to alarm her and in fact, I encouraged her to learn more about her situation before worrying too much. You are right...who knows what degree of previa she has. But to say, 'what you probably have is marginal previa', well, I just can't make that kind of reassuring statement based on the sketchy info she gave.

And, I'm not sure what you mean by 'true placenta previa'. All previas, complete, partial, and marginal, are true previas and despite what you claim, they are all serious. I have a dear friend who nearly died from a marginal previa at 34 wks following a severe hemorrhage.

I will try to post links to my info in a few minutes if my babe doesn't wake up.

lisa


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## 3_opihi (Jan 10, 2003)

I see your point, I guess I just didn't want to scare her, since a full placenta previa is very, very rare.

As far as your friend almost dying from a marginal placenta previa - While I understand that must have been very scary, that is also rare and aside from the norm. I too delt with placenta previa, and while it was serious, it was not fully covering my cervix, and was not a *huge* cause for alarm. I ended up having a normal vaginal delivery with no complications as I'm sure most people do with marginal placenta previa. I believe that you and I will have to agree to disagee on this topic. I see this as something that is indeed outside the realm of a "normal" pregnancy. However, as long as its not a true (and by true I mean a full placenta previa) not something that you need to totally freak out about. Should you excersice caution, of course. Does it mean you automatically need a c-section and bedrest --no. I suppose that is the message I was getting from your somewhat alarmist response. I'm sorry if I misread it. It seems that we were talking about two different degrees of placenta previa.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

Yes, I suppose we will have to disagree. From what I have read, a complete previa at term occurs in 1 out of 200 pg's. Imo, that isn't _that_ rare. There are probably at least 200 pg mamas currently at mdc, so statistically, one of them will go to term with a complete previa. I know that a fellow May mama, AnaNicole, just had a c-section because of that very thing.

Again, I wasn't trying to scare her. I tried to present her with facts as I knew them and even told her my story which had a very happy ending. Heck, I was one of the lucky ones who made it to term with no bleeding at all!

I'm sorry if you thought I was insulting you.

lisa


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## greymama (May 30, 2003)

Thanks everyone for your input. Sorry I didn't get on sooner, I was having a very hormonal weekend and couldn't even stand to be near a computer. Don't worry, no ones post here worried me. I know what the "worst-case" scenario is and I was glad to hear a mom who trusts her body give me her experience, instead of some moms who had freaked because their body had done something "funky" and they had to deal with it.

I have an appt. with my OB next week and will go in armed with a ton of questions. During the ultrasound my doc said it looked like the placenta was already slightly off the cervix and he felt fairly sure that as my uterus grew the placenta would move. I have completely calmed down about this and had to laugh at myself for even reading the horror stories and automatically assuming it was going to happen to me. Now I just have to keep my mom calm and tell her to stop asking my what I'll do if they put me on bedrest! And as long as DH doesn't tell his mom, I'll be fine.


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