During the early part of pregnancy, the placenta is typically attached at the lower portion of the uterus (low-lying), however as pregnancy progresses and the uterus grows, the placenta usually migrates upward.
In Placenta Previa (PP), the placenta remains attached in the lower portion of the uterus and either touches or obscures (partially or completely) the internal cervical os through which the baby must pass to be born. Sometimes this is due to a condition called placenta accreta, which is the abnormally firm attachment of the placenta to the uterine wall.
PP affects 1 in 200 births. The risk increases to 1-4 % after one previous cesarean delivery and up to 10% after four or more cesarean deliveries.
The focus of care for the initial episode of bleeding is the assessment and stabilization of the situation and the determination of the safety of outpatient versus in-hospital monitoring. If the fetus is preterm (< 37 weeks) and there is no need for immediate delivery (no hemorrhage), then outpatient monitoring will probably be deemed appropriate. Three quarters of women with PP will be delivered by cesarean section.
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
Interventions for suspected placenta praevia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [computer file]. 2000
MediFocus.com understands that consumers who are facing serious medical issues need access to credible, up-to-date medical information to help them make informed health-care decisions. That's why we've developed the MediFocus Guides...the most advanced and trustworthy patient research guides for over 200 chronic and life-threatening conditions. Each MediFocus Guide includes a detailed overview of the condition including information about diagnosis, treatment options, cutting-edge research, and new developments; excerpts of important journal articles from the current medical literature focusing on standard treatments and treatment options; a directory of leading authors and medical institutions who specialize in the treatment of the condition; and a listing of organizations and support groups where you can obtain additional information about the illness.
MediFocus Guides are the perfect solution for consumers who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of their medical issue and avail themselves of the same type of professional level medical information that is used by physicians and other health-care professionals to help then in the clinical decision making process.
