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What is Placental Abruption?
The symptoms of placental abruption may include:
Contractions (tightening of the uterus) that don’t stop
Pain in the uterus
Tenderness in the abdomen over the uterus
Vaginal bleeding (sometimes)
How is it diagnosed?
The doctor or midwife will give you a physical exam, looking for signs of blood loss. These tests may be done:
Blood tests
Ultrasound scan to look for a blood clot behind the placenta
A fetal monitoring test to check the baby’s heart rate and look for signs of distress in the baby
The abruption may be described as a Grade 1 (mild), Grade 2 (mild to moderate), or Grade 3 (moderate to severe).
How is it treated?
This will depend on many things such as:
How much of the placenta has separated from the uterus
How close the pregnancy is to full term (37 weeks)
Your health and whether you have other problems, such a high blood pressure
The amount of blood you have lost
The baby’s health
If the separation of the placenta is small, the baby isn’t in distress, and your condition is stable, you may be able to go home and continue the pregnancy with frequent checkups.
If you are admitted to the hospital, you will be given intravenous (IV) fluids. A fetal monitor will be used to check the baby for signs of distress. If the separation is moderate to severe, your blood pressure, pulse, and amount of bleeding will be closely checked. Lab tests will be run on your blood to check its ability to clot.
If the separation is moderate to severe but the baby is not in distress and your condition is stable, the doctor may induce labor and perform a vaginal delivery. If the baby is in distress or if you are losing a lot of blood, the doctor will deliver the baby immediately by cesarean section.
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