Is Low Lying Placenta During Pregnancy Risky?

Friday, October 12, 2012, 11:35

A low lying placenta in simple terms means that the baby is stationed lower in your uterus than it should. A placenta is the tissue that hold the baby in the amniotic sack attached to the uterine walls. If it lies lower down in the uterus then your pregnancy can be a 'high risk' one depending on when and how low the baby lies. This is one of the pregnancy health risks that has the potential of compounding into a major complication during birth and so you need to know everything there is to know about it.

When Is Low Lying Placenta Dangerous?

If you are diagnosed with this condition towards the end of your pregnancy, meaning your third trimester then it makes it a pregnancy health risk well worth heeding. This is because the baby is almost fully grown now and it makes your situation very fragile.
Ideally the feotus should be implanted in the upper half of the uterus because it has a higher concentration of blood vessels. It means more food and ventilation for the baby. But sometimes this does not happen.
If you it is detected in the first trimester then there is always a possibility that the baby moves up in the coming months.

What Are the Consequences Of Low Lying Placenta?

It is one of the leading causes of bleeding during pregnancy. If pressure is put on the placenta due its awkward position then it may cause mild to heavy bleeding.
The bleeding does not necessarily mean that you are having a miscarriage. The blood lost is usually from the expecting mother. The baby need not be harmed.
How ever there are chances of premature delivery and the probability of a C-section birth shoots up. This is because the baby is lying lower down in the uterus than it should and that is dangerously close to the cervix.
If the baby is positioned in a way to cover the cervix totally or partially then the condition is called Placenta previa. If the cervix is partially covered then there is chance that the placenta migrates to clear the passage for birth but if it is a total placenta previa then the pregnancy becomes very high risk.

What Can Be Done About Low Lying Placenta?

Women with this condition in the beginning and during their last trimester of pregnancy are often advised total bed rest. Just put your feet up and sleep.
No traveling long distances for work or pleasure because you may start losing blood at any point of time.
It is preferable to have no physical internal check ups and restrict it to ultrasound scans.
Prenatal exercises are not very advisable for the expecting mother nor is intercourse until the baby is born.

If you have a low lying placenta then the best thing to do is follow your gynecologist's advise and make arrangements for any kind of untoward emergencies.