Low-Lying Placenta & Lower Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy: Causes & Relief

Question
in 19th week of my pregnancy i was diagonosed with low lying placenta with lower end of placenta 34mm from os.again at 25weeks u/s scan i was diagonosed with low lying placenta with lower end 20mm from os.instead of moving up my placenta has moved down.ihave to travel 34km daily of which 10km is by autorickshaw on a very bad road,is it due to this travelling i m experiencing pain in my lower abdomen.this is my second baby,my first delivery was caesarean due to NPOL.now a days i feel severe pain in my lower abdomen while passing urine,feel like something is moving down.pls help me.

Answer
Dear Yamini,

It is impossible to know why your placenta has moved closer to the os, rather than upward and away from the os. The very bumpy travel may or may not be contributing to this. About 0.5-1% of low-lying placentas remain low instead of moving upward.

The main problem that a low-lying placenta can cause is bright red bleeding from the vagina during the later stages of pregnancy. The bleeding may stop and start at first, and is painless. It happens because the lower part of your womb is starting to change shape and thin out in readiness for your baby to be born, but because the placenta can't stretch in the same way, it peels away at the edges, which causes bleeding.

At first, the bleeding is usually slight, but there's a risk that it might become heavy at any time without any warning. Heavy bleeding may be accompanied by signs of shock - paleness, sweating and an increased pulse. Anytime you have a known low-lying placenta and experience bleeding, you should contact your doctor right away.

Having a low-lying placenta won't in itself harm your baby. If it causes bleeding, the blood comes from the mother, not from the baby, although it's occasionally possible that the baby might lose some blood too. Sometimes, however, if the bleeding is serious, it's necessary to deliver the baby early.

If the placenta does not move upward as your pregnancy progresses or if it continues to move closer to the os, you will likely need a C-section. Since you had a previous C-section, this would seem the best decision with a higher risk pregnancy anyway to avoid the complications of a V-BAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean), such as uterine rupture.

I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda