Placenta Praevia

What Is Placenta Praevia?

Placenta praevia occurs when the placenta is situated in the lower uterine segment.  In “normal” pregnancies the placenta develops at the top of your uterus, under your rib cage. With placenta praevia, it develops at the bottom of the womb, near the cervix. As the placenta develops it implants in the endometrium (womb lining) If implantation occurs too low, close to the cervix problems may arise later in the pregnancy, If the placenta crosses the cervix, this may result in haemorrhage later in the pregnancy, possibly risking the lives of mother and baby. In many cases the placenta moves as the uterus grows. If this happens there will be no problem when you go into labour. If the placenta remains near the cervix, your doctor will probably decide to deliver the baby by caesarean section.

How Common Is Placenta Praevia?

Low-lying placenta or placenta praevia occurs in approximately 0.5% of pregnancies. The risk may include four fold if the mother has already delivered many babies

Am I At Risk Of Placenta Praevia In My Pregnancy?

Mothers who have given birth to multiple babies are at a higher risk, other risk factors include:

• multiple pregnancy  - twins, triplets etc.
• age – older mothers are at higher risk
• scarring of the uterus after a Caesarean section
• smoking
• a proportion of placenta praevias detected by ultrasound scanning during pregnancy manage to resolve themselves by the time the baby is delivered.