Why retained placenta

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Your name: is required Error: This is required. Your email: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. What causes retained placenta? Back To Top. Placenta complications in pregnancy The placenta develops inside the uterus during pregnancy and provides your baby with nutrients and oxygen. Call us and speak to a Maternal Child Health Nurse for personal advice and guidance.

Need further advice or guidance from our maternal child health nurses? Support for this browser is being discontinued for this site Internet Explorer 11 and lower We currently support Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. This usually occurs when the cervix begins to close before the placenta completely detaches from the uterus. Placenta Adherens : When the entirety of the placenta or small parts of the placenta finds itself properly attached to the uterine wall, this condition is identified as placental adherens.

At times, it might so happen that an area of the placenta can not only get deeply embedded but also find itself firmly attached into the wall of the uterus as well — this is called as placenta accreta. The likelihood of this condition increases in case there is a previous C-section scar which allows the placenta to embed itself. If the placenta attaches itself and grows all over the wall of the uterus — at times even extending itself to adjacent organs such as the bladder — it is recognized as placenta percreta.

Succenturiate Lobe : In some cases, retained placenta can also occur when a small part of the placenta finds itself linked to the main part through a blood vessel — described as a succenturiate lobe — that is left behind in the uterus. Studies have revealed that the occurrence of these conditions is about 1 in births annually. As mentioned before, a person is more likely to have a chance of getting a retained placenta if these conditions exist. Additionally, depending on the number of more c-sections a patient has had previously, the more likely it is that the individual is susceptible to having these placental problems.

Controlled cord traction: In cases where the placenta is unable to get released despite being disconnected from the uterus, a controlled cord traction treatment is recommended.

Under this treatment, in order to expel the placenta and ease it out, the surgeon will slowly pull out the umbilical cord. Curettage: Curettage is described as a process where the placental debris is expelled from the uterus through scrapping using a curette under proper medication.

If a retained placenta is not treated, the mother is susceptible to both infection and extreme blood loss, which could be life-threatening. If your pregnancy has moved through the labor and birth stages normally, you can choose how to handle the final stage of labor. There are generally two approaches used when dealing with the placenta, whether a natural approach or a managed approach.

If a woman has had complications like high blood pressure or preeclampsia during her pregnancy, Syntocinon is given. The benefit of opting for a managed final stage of labor is the reduction in bleeding immediately after the baby is born.

Placenta Adherens occurs when the contractions of the womb are not robust enough to completely expel the placenta. This results in the placenta remaining loosely attached to the wall of the uterus.

This is the most common type of retained placenta. This usually happens as a result of the cervix closing before the placenta has been expelled. The Trapped Placenta is left inside the uterus. When the placenta attaches to the muscular walls of the uterus instead of the lining of the uterine walls, delivery becomes harder and often results in severe bleeding. Blood transfusions and even a hysterectomy may be required.

This complication is called Placenta Accreta. A midwife can help prevent a retained placenta on rare occasions by gently pulling on the umbilical cord. If this happens, delivery of the placenta can take place by using a contraction to push it out.

The woman may experience symptoms like:. Certain factors increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing a retained placenta. They include:. Different methods are often employed to achieve this, and they include:.

Sometimes, something as simple as urinating is effective enough to expel the placenta because a full bladder can sometimes get in the way of expelling the placenta from the womb.

Unfortunately, if none of these methods succeed in removing the placenta from the uterus, emergency surgery may be needed as a last resort. This is usually saved as the last approach because of the complications that surgery can create.

The risk of heavy bleeding increases. This condition is referred to as primary postpartum hemorrhage PPH. In some cases, however, a doctor may not notice that a small part is missing from the placenta.

When this occurs, a woman will often experience symptoms soon after delivery. Treatment for a retained placenta involves removing the entire placenta or any missing parts of the placenta. It can include the following methods:. If none of these treatments help the body expel the placenta, your doctor may need to perform emergency surgery to remove the placenta or any remaining pieces.

Since surgery can lead to complications, this procedure is often done as a last resort. Delivering the placenta is an important step in allowing the uterus to contract and to stop more bleeding from occurring.

Your uterus will also be unable to close properly and prevent blood loss. In many cases, excessive bleeding can be life-threatening. Taking steps to correct the problem quickly can result in a favorable outcome. This will allow you to be as prepared as possible for any complications. Doctors can usually prevent a retained placenta by taking steps to promote complete delivery of the placenta during the third stage of labor.

These steps include the following:. You may notice your doctor going through these steps before you deliver the placenta. After you give childbirth, your doctor will likely recommend that you massage your uterus. This encourages contractions that help stop bleeding and allows the uterus to start returning to a smaller size. Placentophagia, or the practice of eating your placenta, has gained a lot of publicity as of late.