Placental abruption in early pregnancypregnancy, as well as in late pregnancy, is simply the embodiment of a nightmare for any pregnant woman. And they are right - after all, this phenomenon entails very negative consequences for the condition of the fetus and, unfortunately, often its death. Is it possible to avoid this and what needs to be done for this? Let's start from the very beginning - what is the placenta? As a rule, expectant mothers have an extremely vague idea of this - some kind of organ through which oxygen and nutrients are supplied to the child. However, if we look into it in more detail, we can tell you the following about the placenta: the organ itself got its name from the Latin word, which is translated from a flat cake. And indeed - most of all, in its shape, the placenta resembles a flat cake, which consists of a large number of lobules. On one side, the placenta is firmly attached to the wall of the uterus, and on the other it has an umbilical cord, with the help of which it is connected to the baby. By the way, very often women say "afterbirth", meaning the placenta. However, the placenta is not only the placenta, but also the umbilical cord and fetal membranes. The placenta begins to form from the moment the fertilized egg is implanted into the mucous membrane, but it only begins to function fully from the beginning of the sixteenth week of pregnancy. The placenta has a fairly large diameter - at the time of birth, about twenty centimeters in diameter, and weighs about 600 grams. The placenta has a fairly large number of very important functions:
- Nutritional function. Almost everyone knows about this function – it is thanks to the placenta that the child receives all the nutrients and elements from the mother’s body.
- Excretory function.In the child's body, as in any other, a large number of different metabolic processes occur. And as a result of all these metabolic processes, a fairly large number of waste products are formed. And these products must leave the child's body, otherwise intoxication of the body is inevitable. And it is the placenta that is responsible for the release of waste products of the future baby.
- Respiratory function.Oxygen is vital for the life of the baby. And it is the placenta that is responsible for providing the fetus with oxygen. As a result of diffusion, oxygen contained in the mother's blood enters the baby's blood.
- Hormonal function.For the normal course of pregnancy, a certain balance of various hormones is necessary - and the placenta is primarily responsible for the production of many of them - placental lactogen, progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin and some others.
- Protective function.The fetus is very vulnerable, so reliable protection is vital for its normal development. The placenta is precisely that necessary reliable barrier that will protect the fetus from those infections and toxic substances that are almost always present in the mother's body. Moreover, the placenta protects the child from those antibodies that are produced by the mother's body in response to the development of the fetus.
However, unfortunately, the placenta cannot protectthe child from all harmful substances without exception - many pathogenic microorganisms and toxins bypass protective barriers. That is why the expectant mother must be very attentive and careful, preventing the penetration of toxic substances and infections into her own, and therefore into the child's, body.
Placental abruption
So, we come to the most important question,worrying almost every expectant mother is placental abruption. Moreover, many of them are afraid of placental abruption already in the last stages of pregnancy. However, placental abruption in the early stages of pregnancy is also quite common. However, not always any placental abruption entails termination of pregnancy. In the event that the area of abruption is relatively small, doctors often manage to save the pregnancy. The first thing a woman should remember is that the threat of placental abruption in the early stages of pregnancy is no less high than in the last months. In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman should sound the alarm if she notices the following symptoms:
- Painful sensations in the lower abdomen or in the lumbar region.
- Strong general weakness or headache, lowering blood pressure.
- Appearance of blood discharge. And pay attention - they can be both minor sukrovichnymi, and abundant scarlet.
If you notice the above symptoms,the woman should lie down as quickly as possible and immediately call an ambulance. Of course, most expectant mothers are very scared, start to get nervous, cry, sometimes try to get to their doctor - gynecologist on their own. However, all these actions only aggravate the situation, because they provoke even greater placental abruption. Therefore, try to calm down first of all. As practice shows, doctors manage to save up to 70% of all such pregnancies. The woman must be hospitalized in the gynecological department, where doctors will immediately begin pregnancy-preserving therapy. In the same case, if the detachment occurred at a later stage of pregnancy, in the event that the pregnancy period allows the child to survive outside the mother's body, doctors decide to perform an emergency delivery. In the event that the area of placental abruption is not very large, and therefore the bleeding is not severe, the doctor will puncture the amniotic sac. This measure will stop the bleeding and allow natural childbirth. In the same case, if the bleeding is extensive, the delivery should be as quick as possible - therefore, an emergency cesarean section is performed. But even in this case, the expectant mother should not panic - in almost all cases, doctors manage to prevent the tragedy and save the life and health of both the mother and the baby.
Aging of the placenta
Another problem that periodicallysome expectant mothers face - this is premature aging of the placenta. And talking about the placenta, it is impossible not to mention it. What is this phenomenon - premature aging of the placenta? As mentioned above, the complete formation of the placenta is completed by the beginning of the fourth month. As the child grows, the size of the placenta also increases - its full maturity occurs about a month before birth. The entire process of physiological aging is accompanied by a decrease in the surface area of the placenta and the appearance of salt deposits. In the event that the 2nd degree of maturity occurred earlier than the 32nd week of pregnancy, or the 3rd degree of maturity - earlier than the 36th week of pregnancy. In almost all cases, when premature aging of the placenta occurs, it is almost asymptomatic. If it occurs in the early stages, a frozen pregnancy or the development of various fetal defects is possible. In the same case, if this happened in the late stages of pregnancy, the development of fetal hypoxia is typical, with all the ensuing consequences. There are quite a few reasons that can provoke premature aging of the placenta. The most common are:
- Previous pregnancies and complex births, which resulted in a violation of the normal structure of the walls of the uterus.
- Various endocrine diseases.
- Rhesus is a conflict pregnancy.
In the event that the expectant mother regularlyvisits a gynecologist, she may not be afraid of premature aging of the placenta, since the doctor will notice the beginning of the problem in time, and therefore, will take all the necessary measures. Remember that the gynecologist should become a guide for you during the time of waiting for the baby. We recommend reading:
