Placental Abruption

Symptoms of placental abruption depend on the degree of detachment and the amount of blood lost (which may be massive).

Symptoms may include sudden continuous or crampy abdominal pain, tenderness when the abdomen is gently pressed, and dangerously low blood pressure (shock Shock Shock is a life-threatening condition in which blood flow to the organs is low, decreasing delivery of oxygen and thus causing organ damage and sometimes death. Blood pressure is usually low... read more ). Some women have slight or no symptoms.

The uterus bleeds from the site where the placenta has detached. The blood may pass through the cervix and out the vagina as an external hemorrhage, or the blood may be trapped behind the placenta as a concealed hemorrhage. Thus, abdominal pain may seem worse than expected for the amount of blood lost. If bleeding occurs, the blood may be bright or dark red, and bleeding may be continuous or spotty.

Premature detachment of the placenta sometimes leads to severe blood loss with widespread clotting inside the blood vessels (disseminated intravascular coagulation Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) Disseminated intravascular coagulation is a condition in which small blood clots develop throughout the bloodstream, blocking small blood vessels. The increased clotting depletes the platelets... read more ), kidney failure Acute Kidney Injury Acute kidney injury is a rapid (days to weeks) decline in the kidneys’ ability to filter metabolic waste products from the blood. Causes include conditions that decrease blood flow to the kidneys... read more , and bleeding into the walls of the uterus, especially in pregnant women who also have preeclampsia Preeclampsia and Eclampsia Preeclampsia is new high blood pressure or worsening of existing high blood pressure that is accompanied by excess protein in the urine and that develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. Eclampsia... read more .

When the placenta detaches, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus may be reduced. If detachment occurs suddenly and greatly reduces the oxygen supply, the fetus may die. If it occurs gradually and less extensively, the fetus may not grow as much as expected (intrauterine growth restriction Small-for-Gestational-Age (SGA) Newborns A newborn who weighs less than 90% of newborns of the same gestational age at birth (below the 10th percentile) is considered small for gestational age. Newborns may be small because their parents... read more ) or there may be too little amniotic fluid Too little amniotic fluid Amniotic fluid is the fluid that surrounds the fetus in the uterus. The fluid and fetus are contained in membranes called the amniotic sac. Problems with amniotic fluid include Too much amniotic... read more (oligohydramnios). Gradual detachment may cause less abdominal pain and have a lower risk of shock in the mother than sudden detachment, but the risk of subsequent premature rupture of the membranes is increased.

Doctors suspect and usually diagnose premature detachment of the placenta based on symptoms, such as vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain and tenderness.

Ultrasonography may help doctors confirm the diagnosis of premature detachment and distinguish it from placenta previa Placenta Previa Placenta previa is attachment (implantation) of the placenta over the opening of the cervix, in the lower rather than the upper part of the uterus. Women may have painless, sometimes profuse... read more , which can cause similar symptoms. Ultrasonography may be done by placing a handheld device on the abdomen (called abdominal ultrasonography) or inside the vagina (called transvaginal ultrasonography). However, ultrasonography findings may be normal when the placenta detaches prematurely.

Doctors may measure blood pressure and do blood and urine tests to check for preeclampsia because it can increase the risk of problems.

To check for problems that premature detachment can cause, doctors may do blood tests and may monitor the fetus's heart rate Fetal monitoring Labor is a series of rhythmic, progressive contractions of the uterus that gradually move the fetus through the lower part of the uterus (cervix) and birth canal (vagina) to the outside world... read more .

A woman with premature detachment of the placenta may be hospitalized depending on how severe the symptoms are and how long the pregnancy has lasted. Doctors also advise against sexual intercourse.

Hospitalization and monitoring are appropriate if all of the following are present:

This approach enables doctors to closely monitor the woman and fetus and, if needed, rapidly treat them. Usually, when the risk of early delivery is high, corticosteroids are also recommended (to help the fetus's lungs mature). If symptoms lessen and the fetus is not in danger, the woman may be discharged from the hospital.

Delivery is usually done as soon as possible if any of the following is present:

If vaginal delivery is not possible, a cesarean delivery Cesarean Delivery Cesarean delivery is surgical delivery of a baby by incision through a woman’s abdomen and uterus. In the United States, up to 30% of deliveries are cesarean. Doctors use a cesarean delivery... read more is done.

If the woman goes into shock or disseminated intravascular coagulation develops, the woman is given blood transfusions and monitored in an intensive care unit.