Low lying placenta (placenta praevia)
Read our guide below to help you understand about a low lying placenta.
You can also download a PDF version of this patient information by following the link on the right.
What is a low lying placenta?
When you’re pregnant you have a new organ and is inside your uterus (womb) called a placenta. This is attached to your baby’s navel (belly button) through the umbilical cord and gives your baby its blood and oxygen. When your baby’s born the placenta also comes out. It’s usually called the after-birth.
When your placenta is inside you, in most cases it won’t be near your birth canal. But for one woman in every 200 it sits low down in your womb. We usually find this out at your 20 week scan.
The technical term for a low lying placenta is placenta praevia.
What happens about it?
We usually wait to see if the placenta will move out of the way by itself as your pregnancy progresses and your womb grows. We check its position at your 32-week scan.
If the scan shows the placenta has moved, we don’t need to do anything else.
In about 1 case out of 10, the placenta stays low and doesn’t move. This means you’ll need to have a caesarean section to deliver your baby.
How will this affect me and my baby?
Some women with a low lying placenta get sudden painless bleeding from their vagina. If this happens, call (01296 316103 (24-hours) and we’ll ask you to come to the Labour Ward Triage at Stoke Mandeville Hospital immediately.
We may tell you to stay in hospital if you have any bleeding in the second half of your pregnancy. This may be necessary until the birth of your baby. We suggest you think about what you’d do if this happens, for example, make necessary arrangemen if you have other children that need looking after.
If you don’t get any bleeding or other symptoms, we’ll assess additional care based on your individual circumstances. This could include a recommendation for hospital care and will depend on the type of placenta praevia you have.
Serious complications are rare but there’s a risk of sudden onset heavy bleeding. This can cause serious complications including endangering the life of you and/or your baby.
You must come into hospital straight away if you have any bleeding so that we can start immediate treatment. If there’s a lot of bleeding we may offer you a blood transfusion or talk to you about the possibility of delivering your baby early. If we do this, we may recommend steroid injections to reduce the risk of complications, for example, your baby having breathing problems.
Please remember that any bleeding you get is not from your baby.
Your care
We’ll talk to you about how to manage the rest of your pregnancy and giving birth. You’ll see your obstetrician who’ll discuss your individual circumstances, outline a plan of care and explain any options available for you.
How can I help myself?
You can’t do anything to help the placenta move to a better position but you can do a lot to stay healthy in pregnancy.
Because of the risk of bleeding, eat foods high in iron to avoid anaemia. We recommend you eat foods like:
- dried fruits (apricots, prunes, raisins)
- beans
- egg (yolk)
- red meat (but not liver)
- dark leafy greens (spinach, kale).
Find out more about eating foods that are high in iron.
How can I help reduce healthcare associated infections?
Infection prevention and control is important to the wellbeing of our patients so we have procedures in place. Keeping your hands clean is an effective way of preventing the spread of infections.
You, and anyone visiting you, must use the hand sanitiser available at the entrance to every ward before coming in and after you leave. You may need to wash your hands at the sink using soap and water. Hand sanitisers are not suitable for dealing with patients who have symptoms of diarrhoea.
About our patient information
This is intended as general information only. We aim to make the information as up to date and accurate as possible, but it’s subject to change.
Always check specific advice on any concerns you may have with your doctor.
Contact us
01296 316103
24 hours