Placenta accreta, a clinical condition that increases the risks of maternal death during the baby's delivery, can occur in 1 in 533 pregnancy. Experts say that a pregnant mom is usually advised to undergo early delivery as placenta accreta can lead to a dangerous birth, resulting in hemorrhage. Here's what moms must know about the condition and what they can do, apart from consulting a doctors' professional opinion.
During a routine delivery, the placenta should normally come out of the mom's uterus along with the baby. But when a mother has placenta accreta, what happens is that the placenta settles too deeply inside the mother's uterus to the point that it doesn't separate from the uterine wall. Delivering the baby can damage internal organs and result to massive bleeding, Huffington Post reports.
Moms who have had placenta previa, a condition where the placenta blocks the uterus that prevents normal delivery, are of greater risk developing placenta accreta. But what is more alarming to doctors is that cases of placenta accreta have increased in recent years.
The American College of Obstreticians and Gynecologists notes that this could be due to the 33 percent of mothers who are opting for c-section births, even if they don't need it. There is increased risks because a mom who's had a caesarian might end up having a damaged uterine wall.
"They're still surgeries and they still carry not only short-term risks but the long-term risks that the public is probably not aware of," Dr. Amelia Sutton, a maternal-fetal expert from University of Alabama said, per Fox News. Thus, succeeding pregnancies of a mom who had c-section births can lead to placenta accreta.
Placenta accreta might also be aggravated by factors like endometrial ablation surgery, uterine fibroids, the age of the other, IVF or smoking. According to Med Page today, early diagnosis will be of big help in decreasing the risks.
The mom and her doctor have to make the necessary preparations as well, especially when there's a need to deliver the baby around 33 weeks. Patients might also be advised to get into counselling to be informed about blood transfusion, hysterectomy, hemorrhage and potential intensive care admission. So, talk to your doctor about these concerns during your maternity check-ups.
