What Is An Anterior Placenta?

Does Location Of Placenta Make Any Difference In My Baby’s Development?

No, an anterior placenta doesn’t make any difference in the development of the baby. The baby does not care whether it is in the spinal side or your frontal, as long as she is all cushioned up in the placenta in the uterus.

How Does Anterior Placenta Get Diagnosed?

Your anomaly scan at 20 weeks will reveal the anterior placenta and the sonographer will note down its position as one of the following:

• If the placenta is lying on the front wall of the uterus, it is the anterior placenta
• If the placenta is on the spinal side of the uterus, the position will be noted down as posterior
• The position will be noted down as fundal if the placenta is lying on the top wall of the uterus
• If the placenta forms on the right or left side of the uterus, your sonographer will count it as right or left lateral

What Difference Does An Anterior Placenta Cause To Me And My Medical Examiner?

The placenta in this position will create issues for you and your specialist, though not so much for the baby. Let’s see how:

• It will be pretty tricky for your doctor to assess the heartbeat of your child through your abdominal wall as your child occupies the other side of the placenta.
• As the placenta act as a cushion between your tummy and your baby, you will not be able to feel the kicks and movement of your baby often.
• A little more advanced issue is that this position of the placenta could make amniocentesis (examining the amniotic fluid to diagnose chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome and other defects) more challenging.

These are not as simple issues as they sound. Because noticing the movement of the child is vital during pregnancy. Similarly, listening to the heartbeat of the baby is also very important for your doctors. Amniocentesis is very important if the mother is older (above 35 years) or possesses a previous history.

When Should I Worry About My Anterior Placenta?

Diagnosing the anterior placenta during an anomaly scan is not a cause to worry. This is because the placenta often migrates during pregnancy. That is, even though attached in the anterior position, there are still chances that the placenta moving upwards to the posterior position as the uterus grows.

The doctor will go for a repeated scan between the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy to confirm the position of the placenta. Even the scan during the 36th week shows no change in the position, then you can confirm an anterior low lying placenta, which is not good news.

Is Anterior Placenta More Vulnerable To Damage?

The thick wall of the uterus protects the placenta. Yet, the abdominal wall, abdominal muscle, and anterior placenta are more vulnerable in case of getting a hard blow in the stomach. This is owing to the fact that it is closer to the surface of the abdomen.

What Are The Complications Of Having An Anterior Placenta?

The anterior placenta generally doesn’t affect the health of the mother during pregnancy. But during labor and delivery, this position of the placenta can cause complications when it grows down instead of growing up.

• Women with this position of the placenta can develop back labor causing severe back pain and more painful contractions during labor.
• The risk of postpartum hemorrhage is high during vaginal delivery.
• This position of the placenta, when grows down, partially, or completely blocks the cervix developing, a condition called placental previa. Placental pervia often increases the risk of preterm delivery. Vaginal delivery will be difficult as the chances of profuse bleeding increase. Caesarian delivery is the only option during such conditions.
• When your child is in breech position, usually your doctor performs an external cephalic version – a procedure used to turn the child from breech position to head-down position as a part of trying a vaginal birth.  A low-lying placenta makes it difficult. Read more about it here.

Read: [Placenta previa]

Complications Of Anterior Placenta During A C-section

The low-lying anterior placenta can cause complications when you have to undergo a normal or emergency C-section.

Increases The Risk of Bleeding

Low lying placenta situates exactly where your obstetrician needs to make the cut to deliver your baby.  This increases the risk of heavy bleeding during the surgery. To prevent this from happening, doctors use ultrasound to assess the exact location of the placenta in a planned C-section. This helps the surgeon to decide the safest position for making the cut.

Can Develop Placental Accreta

This is a rare condition that occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into and through the uterine wall. When you undergo a cesarean previously, the chances of developing this kind of placenta over the area of the previous wound increases leading to placental accreta.

The doctors can detect the placenta during a routine ultrasound. But the risk is always there as:

• Placental accreta triggers premature delivery.
• Detaching the placenta from the uterine wall manually can result in heavy bleeding.
• There is a risk of uterus damage during the process of removal of the placenta.

What Research Says

But once you have to undergo an emergency cesarian with no time for an ultrasound scan, there is a higher risk of bleeding at birth. Making arrangements for blood supply is mandatory. Now let us go through some research results before signing off:

• This position of the placenta increases hypertension during pregnancy.
• Women with blood group O-positive are more vulnerable to this type of placenta.
• The birth weight of babies can be higher when the placenta is in anterior positions.
• This increases the need for induction of labor.
• The sleeping position of women during the egg implant has a role in deciding the position of the placenta.

All the risks that arise due to the anterior placenta are manageable nowadays. So leave the worries to your doctor. Enjoy your pregnancy with proper care and also follow the guidelines of your doctor.