An Abnormal Attachment Of The Placental Villi

My placenta remained connected inside my womb, which is a problem called placenta accreta ...

Accreta has three distinct types; placenta accreta, placenta increta and placenta percreta. Placenta accreta represents 79% of accreta cases, while placenta increta represents 14% of cases and placenta percreta represents 7% of cases. In placenta accrete the villi are affixed to the myometrium of the uterus; in placenta increta the placental villi grow through the myometrium, and in placenta percreta the placenta villa grow through the myometrium and invade other structures such as the bladder and colon (Balayla & Bondarenko, 2012). The risks and complications are related to the degree in placental invasion (Figure

On ultrasound, there is a live fetus in cephalic presentation. Fetal biometry is slightly behind dates with growth at the 9%ile. This is brought down some by the 3-week abdominal circumference lag. Umbilical artery Doppler was within normal limits. There is no shunting of the MCA. AFI is 13 cm. BPP is 8/8. A limited survey did not show the EIF on today’s scan. There were no gross abnormalities seen. We did note an occasional PAC on M-Mode. Transvaginal imaging noted the placental edge to be over 2 cm from the internal os. There was some colorflow noted laterally over the cervix. We tried to Doppler this flow there was no pulsations noted.

Supportive Structures Form- When an embryo forms, supportive structures develop that are crucial for proper growth. These structures support and protect these developmental embryos. Some of these structures are the umbilical cord, amniotic sac, the placenta, yolk sac, chorionic villi, and the allantois. During the third week of embryonic development after conception, chorionic villi connect to the uterine wall, which provide maximum contact with maternal blood. They sprout from chorion, are an essential element in pregnancy and a product of conception. Branches of the umbilical arteries carry embryonic blood to the villi. Although the mother’s blood is in contact with the embryo’s villi, the systems

Fetal circulation is the pathway of blood circulation in the fetus (Anderson, 2002). The placenta has an amniotic filled sac attached to it called the amniotic sac. The placenta starts growing in the third week that a woman is pregnant. It starts functioning at four weeks of pregnancy. The normal growth and development of the fetus is the responsibility of an organ of pregnancy called the placenta. The umbilical cord secures the fetus to the placenta. Two arteries and one vein make up the umbilical cord. The placenta links the fetus to the uterine wall of the mother so that the mother and fetus can exchange nutrition and oxygen, as well as eliminating carbon dioxide and other waste products.

Preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome and eclampsia are part of a spectrum of hypertensive disorders specific to pregnancy, which are a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity worldwide (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, & Alden, 2015). The root cause of preeclampsia is the placenta: in a healthy pregnancy, the muscular components of the uterine spiral arteries are replaced by cytotrophoblastic tissue from the fetus which then erodes the myometrium, causing the arteries to widen and lose their vasoconstrictive properties (Gilbert, 2010). This increases the diameters of the uterine spiral arteries to 4 to 6 times their nonpregnant size, allowing increased blood volume to flow to the placenta. In preeclampsia cytotrophoblastic tissue fails to widen the maternal spiral arteries, and the pressure in the maternal vascular system increases and defective placentation (defined as decreased tissue perfusion in the placenta) occurs. Ischemia in the placenta triggers the release of antiendothelial factors that are toxic to endothelial cells, leading to endothelial cell dysfunction. Because endothelial cells line all the blood vessels, this leads to multiorgan system involvement. Destruction of endothelial cells in the blood vessels causes decreased production of vasodilators such as prostacyclin and nitric oxide. Preeclampsia affects 2 to 7 percent of first time mothers, and is most common in mothers younger than 19 or older than 40 (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, & Alden, 2015).

The placenta’s primary role is to provide physiological exchange between the fetal and maternal systems. Placenta circulation system is important to successful pregnancy , this related to fetal weight, placental size and uterine and umbilical blood flows during normal pregnancy 15. The exchange of materials between fetus and mother takes place at fetomaternal barrier, which separates maternal blood in the inter-villous space from fetal circulation 17 .

Placenta encapsulation is the practice of ingesting the placenta after it has been dehydrated, ground, and placed into capsules. Placentophagia is the process of a new mother consuming her placenta postpartum by either eating the placenta raw, cooked, in capsule form or drinking the juices from the placenta once it is cooked.

With the cesarean section it is typical to use regional anesthesia but in an emergency it may be necessary to use general anesthesia which means the mother won’t be able to see, feel, or hear. This method has become increasingly common over the last decade increasing by seven-fold with a rate of thirty-two percent in 2014 (Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., Osterman, M.J.K., & Curtin, S.C., 2015). Typically, the cesarean section is used when there is a complication with the baby that would make vaginal delivery risky. This method can be advantageous because if there is a known complication the cesarean section can be planned ahead of time in order to avoid serious danger for both mother and child. One of the most common complications resulting in a cesarean section is stalled labor when the labor stops progressing because the cervix isn’t opening or the baby’s head is too big. When the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen or there is an issue with the umbilical cord the cesarean section can again be the result. Another type of complication is when the baby is in an abnormal position that makes vaginal delivery dangerous. The baby may be in a breech position where the feet or buttocks is positioned to go first through the birthing canal instead of the desired head first. Another way is the transverse position where the baby is turned shoulder or side first. The placenta can also cause issues for mother

Najate Achamrah and Agnes Ditisheim believe that defective placenta releases many factors to the maternal circulation such as, pro-inflammatory cytokines, syncytiotrophoblast micro particles, angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors which is in turn cause endothelial cell dysfunction and increase vascular resistance that result in the maternal syndrome. (Najate Achamrah & Agnes Ditisheim, 2018).

When preparing for delivery, I assume pregnant women are usually excited, anxious and ready to bring a new life into the world. After labor and delivery, most women want to make sure their child is healthy and are ready to obtain some rest. The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus that provides nourishment to the child and is the only organ that is shared between 2 people. Afterward, the placenta is sent for testing, thrown away or will be incinerated depending on the hospital’s policy. It is not considered natural to keep the placenta after delivery, even though the majority of non-human mammals eat their placenta for after birth benefits. placentophagy is the practice of ingesting the placenta. This practice is widely accepted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been documented as early as 1578.There are multiple ways of ingesting the placenta including raw, cooking it and pill capsulation. Just like any meat, the placenta has to

All of these problems seem to be caused by the placenta not properly forming the normal network of blood vessels deep inside the uterus. Which leads to poor blood flow to the placenta. The placenta is what

Preeclampsia’s exact cause is presently unknown. However, the following factors are thought be increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing the condition:

VAGINAL PROGESTERONE IN WOMEN WITH AN ASYMPTOMATIC SONOGRAPHIC SHORT CERVIX IN THE MIDTRIMESTER DECREASES PRETERM DELIVERY AND NEONATAL MORBIDITY

Uterine atony (over distended uterus, anesthesia, analgesia, previous history of uterine atony, high parity, prolonged labor, ocytocin-induced labor, trauma during labor and birth)