Placenta Previa at 28 weeks and questions

[MMKinNYC]

Hi everyone,

I so love this site and it helped me tremendously during my first pregnancy. Thank you!

I found out at my 22 week us that my placenta was posterior and the edge of it was completely covering my cervix (complete placenta previa). I just had another us at 28 weeks, and the prognosis is the same. They've ordered another us for wk 32. I have a lot of questions and concerns, and any help/info anyone can offer would be so greatly appreciated!

First, does anyone know how likely it is that the placenta will still migrate upward? The doc at the us said there is still a good chance, so I'm hopeful. But I'm also concerned about having too many us, and exposing the baby. My first thought is just to wait a little longer, like wk 34, before having another us, giving the placenta more time to migrate, but at that point the baby's head might be down, making it difficult to see the position of the placenta or causing the baby's head to be subject to more us exposure?...

Of course, if I have the us at wk 32 and it has moved sufficiently, GREAT! But if it hasn't, then I know they will want to do ANOTHER us at wk36..

Sorry this is so convoluted!! I'm basically just looking for any input anyone might have on this condition this far along and the merits/disadvantages of doing us at any particular point.

Thank you so much!

Marguerite

[MaerynPearl]

I would personally just wait for week 36 anyway. since it is not actually centered over the cervix its more than likely going to move away... and its not like they will allow labor to go on before 36 weeks unless something else shows up anyway (and in that case they would likely do an ultrasound to check first anyway)

unless you are bleeding from it... I really wouldnt worry. neither my doctor nor my midwife are worried over mine since they really do move almost every time.

[MMKinNYC]

That's a very good point - thank you so much for your input, and encouragement!!

[Burnindinner]

There is a Previa Thread in this forum that might be interesting to you - some good examples of what can happen, from completely resolving, to no resolution at all.

For me, at 21 wks the placenta was 3 cm over the os. At the follow up at 34 wks, it was 1.7 cm away from the os. Cleared for vaginal birth in the hospital (no automatic c-section), but not for home birth. Had bleeds at 20 wk and 32 wk.

I haven't been able to find much clear research as to what the odds are if it didn't move by 28, will it by 34, etc. I posted an article I really liked in the Previa Thread.

[MeepyCat]

I don't have numbers for you, sorry. I know that 28 weeks was the point when doctors started raising their eyebrows at my optimism regarding the condition clearing up, but I don't know what details contributed to that.

I delivered at 32w4d because of placenta previa, and I cannot for the life of me even remember how many ultrasounds I had. My baby's head was definitely down by 28 weeks, and the placenta was difficult to see. We had to do some guessing about it at a number of points.

In a case like this one, where there is a benefit to information (had the placenta shown signs of deterioration or non-function at any time, we'd have opted for earlier delivery), I think the benefits to ultrasound far outweigh the risks.

[MMKinNYC]

Thank you so much for this information - I will look at the previa thread, definitely, and I appreciate knowing how it went for you, especially that your placenta moved that much by 34 weeks. They haven't given me actual measurements, just said that the "edge" of my placenta was fully covering my cervix.

Good luck and blessing to you for this June!!

[MMKinNYC]

I'm sure you are right about the benefits outweighing the risks at this point, MeepyCat - thank you for reassuring me on that. Right now, I'm so appreciating hearing things from other mommas who have gone through this because I'm finding it so hard to think clearly about anything! Thank you!