Symptoms and Complications
Slight and occasional bleeding may occur during the first and second trimester of pregnancy. The color of the blood may be bright red and it may start and stop then restart after several days or weeks. Sudden and excessive bleeding may occur in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Bleeding is usually not accompanied by pain, although uterine cramping may be occur at the time of bleeding in some women. In 7% to 30% of women there may be no bleeding at all.
The bleeding occurs because as the pregnancy progresses, the placenta gets detached from the uterine walls. In the third trimester the uterine walls become thinner and spread to accommodate the growing fetus. If placenta previa is present, the placenta is attached very low on the uterine wall and this thinning makes the placenta stretch and tear away from the uterine wall, leading to bleeding.
The following are the possible complications of placenta previa:
- slow fetal growth due to insufficient blood supply
- fetal anemia
- fetal distress due to low oxygen supply
- shock and death of the mother if the bleeding is excessive
- infection and formation of blood clots
- blood loss requiring transfusion
If you are diagnosed with complete placenta previa, your doctor will advise you to have a cesarean section for the delivery of your baby.