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What are my chances of having another placental abruption
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glo6448 posted:
I had a placental abruption at 37 weeks, that resulted in me having an emergency c-section, that my baby did not survive. I was told this happened because of a prior surgery I had to removed few fibroids. Im only 27and want to try again and get pregnant, but I want to know what my changes are that this could happen again. My doctor said that it could happen again at any time and I would have to be watched closely.
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jmarsh81 responded:
I don't know the answer to your question, but would like to hear the answer, so I am replying to bump your question up. I also had a placental abrubtion at 37 wks with my last son. My dr said it was from a trama, which could have been, because we were in a small accident that morning. But he also said that it wasnt likely with this pregnancy, so I don't know. GL.
Me, Jessi 29, DH, Mike 39, DSS, Michael 1991, DS1, Brandon 2000, DS2, Jeremy 2006, DS3, Tyler 2007, DD1, Katie Chyanne EDD 11/07/2010
 
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AusOandG responded:
I'm very sorry to hear about your first pregnancy; nobody should have to go through what you have been through.

To (try to) answer your question, I think we need to know a bit more about what happened to you before and after the abruption. Did the doctors do any sort of blood test screening? Was your blood pressure abnormal? Was your baby's birthweight much smaller than expected? Did they do any tests on the placenta?

What sort of surgery did you have to remove the fibroids? Were the inside, within, or outside the wall of your uterus? Were they treated by open surgery or by hysteroscopy (camera into your womb through the cervix)?

Having fibroid surgery that involves cutting through the wall of your womb (as opposed to just cutting one off a stalk) would increase your risk of uterine rupture should you go through a labour. But it shouldn't increase your risk of spontaneous placental abruption by any meaningful amount.

Abruption results from bleeding between the placenta and its site of attachment to the uterus. This may be after trauma to the abdomen (as in the first reply post), or "out of nowhere". There are a few conditions which are associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abruption, like clotting disorders, some medical disorders (e.g. hypertension), and something called antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS).

Some of these conditions can be treated to minimise your risk of a placental abruption happening again. If no cause or association can be found, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It would mean that the risk of another abruption is low, but you should still be managed as a high-risk pregnancy just based on your history.

The management of your pregnancy will be more intensive than usual, and you'd be best served by an elective repeat caesarean section, somewhere around 37 weeks, depending on the progress of your pregnancy.

I think the best thing for you to do would be to have a visit with an obstetrician (preferably the one who managed your last pregnancy, if possible) before you fall pregnant, to see if any investigations need to be done to optimise your chance of success in your next pregnancy.

It's natural to not want to have anything to do with the treating team or hospital after a bad outcome. Even if nobody is at fault, sometimes seeing familiar faces or places can just be too hard to bear. But remember, these people have the full medical record of what happened in your last pregnancy, and I think this can be advantageous.

If you happen to know the answer to any the questions I asked above, I can try to answer your question a bit better. But, eitherway, I wish you the very best in your next pregnancy.
 
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glo6448 replied to AusOandG's response:
To ausoandg, I hope this information can help

I had a myomectomy to remove the fibroids two years ago. I had contractions early in my pregnancy around the fifth month. I didn't have high blood pressure until after I gave birth. My baby weighed 6 lbs 15oz. I do not know if any test was done on the placenta.I also needed a blood transfusion after the c-section.
 
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AusOandG replied to glo6448's response:
I'm still a little unclear about the original diagnosis. Given that you had a myomectomy (and I'm assuming it was through a cut in your tummy and that they cut into your uterus to remove the fibroids), this would increase the risk of uterine rupture in labour, and you should never go through a labour. But spontaneous rupture in the absence of labour, even on a "scarred uterus", is quite rare. Certainly, a rupture is a disaster and can lead to the loss of an otherwise perfect baby (6lb 15oz is pretty normal for 37 weeks), and the need for a blood transfusion.

But it's a little bit strange to think that the "scar" on your womb from the myomectomy would cause a spontaneous placental abruption in the absence of anything else being wrong.

I think you need to make an appointment to see the doctors who managed your last delivery. Make sure that, afterwards, you're clear on the diagnosis, and what steps need to be taken in your next pregnancy. It is likely that, unless they've already been done, you will need a screen of blood tests to rule out anything like APLS. And, given your outcome, they must have requested a formal examination of the placenta.

If it was a spontaneous rupture, then you'll probably find they want to deliver you by caesarean section by 36-37 weeks. If it was a placental abruption, then the management will depend on whether or not any abnormalities were found in the blood tests.

Either way, the most likely outcome of a subsequent pregnancy in your case is a live birth of a healthy child. An actual "percentage" chance of another bad outcome is difficult to quantify, even if all the facts are known, but is likely to be relatively low.

I hope this helps!


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