Placental insufficiency and complications because of the condition can have a serious impact on not only mom, but also baby in some cases. Placental insufficiency, or as sometimes called, placental dysfunction, centers around problems with the placenta, or the placenta not working as designed.
Other conditions that can stem from placental insufficiency are placental abruption and fetal growth restriction, among other things. Placental insufficiency cannot be cured so to speak, but it can be managed. Usually determining how many weeks pregnant mother is will help doctors know what course of action is best. In some instances, a C-section delivery might be necessary.
What Is The Placenta And Its Function?
The placenta develops in the uterus and is responsible for providing blood and other important nutrients to your baby. A baby’s umbilical cord develops from the placenta and provides blood, oxygen, and other nutrients to the baby.
As a side, the condition placenta previa can occur when the placenta covers the mother’s cervix. Some of the risk factors for placenta previa are the following:
- A previous delivery
- History of surgeries
- Mom older than 35
- C-section delivery
- Uterine fibroid removal
Placental Insufficiency And Complications
One way in which doctors can suspect possible placental insufficiency is using ultrasound technology and the measuring of the placenta. In addition to measuring the size of the placenta, fetal growth can be measured to determine growth levels. Both actions can help doctors understand if a mother is suffering from placental insufficiency.
Placental abruption, which we previously mentioned, is another condition which can stem from the placenta not working properly. This condition occurs when the placenta detaches form the uterus. When this occurs, blood loss is the main concern. The more blood loss from the detachment the more mom’s life is placed in danger and thus also placing the baby in danger. A disruption in mom’s blood supply can deprive the baby of blood and oxygen, which can in some instances lead to the traumatic brain injury HIE.
Fetal growth restriction can be summarized by a baby not growing or developing as expected for its gestational period. According to some literature, this can be classified as a baby at an estimated weight less than the 10th percentile. Fetal growth restriction can be impacted by risk factors in the mother (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, etc.…) and sometimes in the baby (i.e., twins, birth defects, infections, etc.…).
Thanks for reading, your friends at HIE Resource Place.