How to Treat Placental Abruption
Placental abruption is when the placenta begins to separate from the uterine lining before the baby is born. Symptoms of placental abruption include: vaginal bleeding, fetal heart rate abnormalities, and uterine tenderness generally in the third trimester. Placental abruption can be treated depending on the type of abruption that has occurred and the severity of it.
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Instructions
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Your doctor will try to determine if an abruption has actually taken place. He can do an ultrasound, listening to your symptoms, monitoring the fetal heart tones or taking blood. Once he has determined that a possible abruption has taken place, he will try to determine if it was a partial or complete abruption.
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If a partial abruption has taken place, bedrest may be the best answer until the pregnancy reaches a mature 37 weeks. Bedrest will significantly slow down your activity, which may help prevent the placenta from tearing away more. Your doctor will also want to carefully monitor the baby's progress by listening to the fetal heart tones. He may send you home with a machine that does this.
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If a complete placental abruption has taken place, your doctor will recommend delivery. Once the placenta separates from the uterine lining, the exchange of oxygen and nutrients from you to the fetus stops. Therefore, the baby will have to be born.
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If the fetal heart tones sound good, the doctor may allow a vaginal delivery. However, a cesarean is not unlikely in the event that the heart tones are non-reassuring and/or the mother has lost a lot of blood.
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Tips & Warnings
Call your doctor immediately if you experience bleeding or extreme abdominal tenderness in your third trimester.
