Complete placenta previa at 20 weeks - help!

[roostmonkey]

Hi all,

 

I had my 20 week u/s last week and I went to see my midwife yesterday for my routine check and I was told that the baby is healthy, however the placenta is completely covering the cervix. Does this mean I have complete placenta previa? I was not told whether the placenta is centered over the cervix or not.

 

I was planning to have a homebirth, but this has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works so does anyone know what the odds are that the placenta will move away from the cervix by my due date with a complete previa?

 

I have read that 90% of low lying placenta or placenta previa will resolve by the full term, however this obviously includes cases where it is not complete previa.

 

It would be quite ironic if I were to have a c-section given I am the only one out of my friends to even consider a HB, but I guess I need to know what my odds are as this impacts other decisions we need to make.

 

Thanks all!

[MeepyCat]

More than one post is totally okay.  I had placenta previa and the scarcity of available information is *maddening*.

You do currently have complete placenta previa, but not all cases of this are the same.  The placenta can be totally covering the cervix even if it's centered a fair way up the uterine wall - cases like that are much more likely to resolve.  So it might help you to have a better sense of what your previa looked like.  I got a fair way with doctors by using one fist and one hand to represent the cervix and the placenta, and asking questions like "Is it like *this*," (cover center of fist with tips of fingers) "or like THIS?" (cover center of fist with palm).  (Also a good trick for describing your condition in the ER, btw.)

Most cases of placenta previa diagnosed at 20 weeks do resolve before delivery.  In terms of decision-making, would it make it less scary to remember that deciding what you'd do in an emergency doesn't commit you to anything in a non-emergency?  I wanted a natural birth, researched the options, planned for it, and then got smacked with the previa thing and wound up with an emergency c/s.  However, right up until the emergency, I felt like there was still a chance for things to go differently.  The trick is to stay pregnant long enough for the problem to go away.  Take it as easy as you can.

I have a blog - www.thepreviousplacenta.com - about planning for worst-case scenarios regarding placenta previa.  I swear it's intended to help, but it can be a little intense.  (Also, god it needs more info - if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know and I'll write about it.)

[roostmonkey]

Thanks for the reply. I had a quick glance at the blog, will take a closer look after I write this.

Yes, the one thing that the sonographer did not mention on the report was where the placenta was centered. When I was at the lab, I heard the sonographers saying something about "one-fifth, one-sixth... She will have to come back at 28 weeks" so from then I had an inkling that I had PP. I'm not sure what 1/5, 1/6 meant, but hopefully it means that only 1/5, 1/6 is covering as opposed to the placenta being centered over the cervix! My midwife is following this up for me so hopefully I will know by this time tomorrow.

From what I have read on various boards, it seems that some people who have CPP centered over the cervix have had it resolve where as others have not. I guess the only thing I can do at this stage is continue planning for a natural HB but know that there is a strong chance that the baby will be delivered by c/s.

[MeepyCat]

In re:  what you can do at this stage - there is more.  It's not just a thing where if the problem doesn't go away, you'll pick a date and have a planned CS.  It happens that way sometimes, but previa results in early delivery fairly often.

I wish that, when I was going through this, I had done the following things:

- Put my red underwear away for the duration and bought myself some scanties in pastels.  I kept wearing red ones because they were in the drawer or the laundry basket, and they kept making me nervous because I couldn't tell if they were bloody or just damp.

- Pack a go bag, in case you have to go to the hospital (you should go if you experience any vaginal bleeding).  You don't need a whole lot, just a few things to help keep you comfortable and not too bored if they keep you for observation.

- Researched the nearby hospitals a bit, to figure out which ones were appropriate (they want you at a hospital with an OB unit and a Level III NICU), and what those places were like.

[roostmonkey]

Haha, luckily for me I don't have red underwear (but I do have lots of black so it is probably the same deal).

Thanks for the advice. We are planning on checking out the hospitals soon. Luckily we live in an area that is surrounded by many hospitals (the closest being about 500m away).

I am waiting to hear back from my MW but will be trying to stay positive about the whole thing. 

[roostmonkey]

Found out today that it is posterior and the os is covered by 1.5cm. 

[MeepyCat]

There's definitely cause for hope in that.  I hope it's gone by your next u/s.