The abruption occurs in pregnant women and consists of separating the placenta from the uterine implantation; this can have different degrees of separation from a few millimeters to a complete detachment.
This condition can occur between 0.4 and 3.5% of all deliveries, and despite not being so common, it requires attention to avoid complications during pregnancy. At FastlyHealwe, explain what you need to know about placental abruption: symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Table of Contents
Causes of placental abruption
The placental abruption or placentae may result from direct causes, i.e., those that occur with injury or directly on the ventral abdominal area, though mainly due to indirect reasons or risk factors. Next, we detail the different types of agents that can predispose you to suffer from this condition:
Direct causes
They are rare and include conditions such as:
- Injury to the abdomen after a fall, blow, or car accident.
- Rapid loss of uterine volume after delivery of a first twin or when the amniotic fluid is suddenly eliminated.
Indirect causes
Much more common in this group, some situations stand out that can increase the risk of suffering from this condition, for example:
- Blood clotting disorders are known as thrombophilias.
- Cocaine use.
- Tobacco use.
- Diabetes.
- I was drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
- Hypertension during pregnancy, with approximately half of the cases of placental abruption due to an increase in the mother’s blood pressure.
- History of premature detachment of the placenta.
- Many previous deliveries.
- Advanced age of the mother.
- Rupture the membranes previously, breaking the bag before the 37th week of pregnancy.
- Fibroids in the uterus .
Symptoms of this condition
Some different symptoms and signs indicate that we face a possible placental abruption, being more or less accentuated depending on the degree of separation between the placenta and the maternal uterus.
Some of the critical signs that deserve your attention are:
- A hemorrhage is abnormal bleeding in the vagina with blood passing behind the membranes and through the cervix. The bleeding is external or retention of blood behind the placenta if the bleeding is occult.
- She contracted uterus and pain in the area.
- Hypovolemic shock occurs due to blood loss causing the heart not to be able to pump enough blood to the body. This condition could cause many organs to stop working, requiring immediate medical attention.
- Hypofibrinogemia is a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot as it should.
The symptoms of placental abruption must be taken very seriously as this condition can cause the suffering of the fetus and, in worse cases, its death.
Treatment of placental abruption
Treatment of placental abruption depends on the level of bleeding that occurs in the pregnant woman. Some steps to take are:
- If the bleeding is slight, that is, it does not threaten the life of the mother or the fetus, and also the fetal heart tones are standard, and the gestation is not close to term, rest is recommended so that the bleeding does not increase. As a general rule, the patient will improve and be discharged if the bleeding does not reappear.
- If the bleeding continues or initially minor bleeding worsens, it is necessary to resort to the delivery urgently to avoid complications. An exploration of the vagina is then performed, and if the cervix is dilated, the membranes are ruptured to reduce the incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Additionally, if preterm birth has been resorted to, at the time of diagnosis, it is usual to administer to the mother some drug that accelerates the maturation of the lungs in the fetus to reduce the possible problems derived from a delivery carried out before term.
However, you should know that throughout the gestation period, your gynecologist should advise you and make the appropriate decisions that will be the most suitable for your health and that of the fetus. If you suffer from any symptoms that make you suspect that you have an alteration during pregnancy, you should see your doctor immediately to make sure there are no problems.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Placenta abruption: symptoms, causes and treatment , we recommend that you enter our Pregnancy and baby health category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.