Ahead of the Child

Anything can go wrong during pregancy. The fact alone that the child survives and came into the world just fine is an enduring miracle of life the many people tend to take for granted as a gift from God.

IN BUSINESS, competition defines profitability. And going ahead of your competition is the name of the game.

In obstetrics, however, particularly in pregnancy management, a placenta going ahead of the baby can spell trouble for both the mother and the child. The condition is called placenta previa or “preceding placenta.”

It is a complication of pregnancy wherein the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb, and in its complete form (type IV), completely covers the cervix. That sets up the mother to bleed severely in the latter part of pregnancy.

The danger of placenta previa cannot be overemphasized. It increased the risk of death for both the mother and the baby before childbirth via severe vaginal bleeding. Blood transfusion is often needed. Premature delivery can happen. And the newly born child may face growth restrictions later on.

While relatively uncommon at 0.5 percent of all pregnancies, it has increased worldwide. In England alone, its incidence ran at 6.3 per 1,000 births in 2010.

Factors of highest risk include... [READ MORE]

This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 04 July 2012.

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