Placenta Praevia

Category: Obstetrics or Midwifery

The after-birth is placed in the lower part of the
womb; (after-birth before the child). This is a dangerous condition and
terrible bleeding may occur. It occurs about one time out of every one
thousand. The main symptom is bleeding and this may occur at any period of
pregnancy. It usually appears from the seventh to the ninth month. The
outset is without any appreciable reason and without pain. The amount of
blood lost at the first attack may be so slight as to escape notice or
copious enough to endanger the life of the mother. This flow may occur at
any time during these months, and it may be small or great. If during the
course of pregnancy the bleeding occurs at intervals in the increasing
amount, the greater will be the loss of blood during the labor.

Treatment. There is little danger of dangerous bleeding before the
seventh month, and a waiting treatment may be adopted, but the woman
should be closely watched and told what the trouble is, so she will be
willing to remain quiet. Rest in bed, the avoidance of all muscular
exercise and quieting medicines may enable the mother to carry the child
until it can live, when pregnancy must be quickly terminated. If the child
is dead the womb must be emptied at once. After the seventh month an
expectant treatment is no longer allowable, and authorities declare the
pregnancy should be terminated without delay. The mother is in great
danger from sudden free flow. This treatment must be given by an
experienced hand and only a physician can do it. If the pregnancy is
allowed to continue to full term the danger to the woman is very great, as
the mortality runs from thirty to sixty-five per cent; but under modern
treatment it has been brought down to five to ten per cent. The death rate
of the child is between fifty and seventy-five per cent.

Next: Labor
Previous: Treatment of the Inevitable Abortion

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Placenta Praevia