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The placenta grows during pregnancy and adapts to the needs of the growing baby. It filters out toxins and delivers oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the child, ensuring the baby grows healthy and strong. Unfortunately, the placenta can sometimes be damaged or can develop abnormally, resulting in a condition called Placental Insufficiency.
What is Placental Insufficiency?
Placental Insufficiency is one of the complications that arise during pregnancy where the placenta cannot deliver enough oxygen and vital nutrients to the foetus, thus endangering the child. The other names for this condition are uteroplacental insufficiency, insufficient placenta and placental dysfunction. It is a rare disorder and develops in only 1 in 300 pregnancies.
Placental Insufficiency Causes
Some of the causes of placental insufficiency in third trimester are:
- Maternal bad habits such as drinking alcohol, smoking and taking drugs
- Maternal health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure (preeclampsia), maternal blood clotting, anaemia and if the mother is on blood thinner medications.
- In case of a placental abruption; a situation in which the placenta separates prematurely, before delivery.
- In case of a placenta previa; when the placenta lies in the uterus, covering the cervix.
- In case of prolonged contractions in the uterus, where the blood vessels are compressed.
- In case of haemorrhage due to velamentous cord insertion; where the umbilical cord is abnormally inserted into the placenta.
- In case of the supine hypotensive syndrome; when there is reduced blood pressure from when a mother lies down on her back, which can cause the uterus to compress the vena cava, the large veins that return blood to the heart from the head and limbs.
Symptoms Of Placental Insufficiency
Most often there is no outward symptom of this disorder, though women who have had children before may be able to tell something is wrong as there is less movement from the child.
However, in some cases, symptoms may occur and usually depend on the cause. If there is placental abruption, for example, the mother may experience pain or even notice that her uterus is extremely hard. A change in the baby’s heart rate may also be an indicator that there may be placental insufficiency.
In chronic cases, the symptoms manifest in the infant and less in the mother. The baby does not develop properly, and sometimes there are no symptoms other than the sudden death of the baby.
Diagnosis Of Insufficiency
Placenta insufficiency can be detected during your routine ultrasounds due to the placement of the placenta or by the abnormally small size of the uterus. Keeping a check on the alpha-fetoprotein levels and the heart rate of the baby is another way of monitoring whether or not any placental insufficiency is developing or has developed.
Complications Associated with Uteroplacental Vascular Insufficiency
The risks of placental insufficiency are different for both mother and child.
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Baby :
The baby can suffer from deprivation of oxygen during labour. They can get hypothermia, low blood sugar and may not develop properly during pregnancy. If this disorder develops during the first trimester, it can be life-threatening to the baby. Placental Insufficiency can also cause birth defects in the baby such as brain damage, lung damage and gastrointestinal problems.
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Mother :
While this condition is not life-threatening to the mother, is a major risk. If found with placental insufficiency there is a higher chance that the mother will risk premature delivery, abruption in the placenta as well as bleeding and premature contractions. There is also a higher chance she will need a C-section to be performed. This disorder can sometimes cause post-term pregnancies, a condition where the baby is not born even up to two weeks after the due date.
How Is Insufficiency Treated
Placental insufficiency can be treated so as to ensure as few risks as possible during the pregnancy. How far along in the pregnancy the mother is will determine what kind of treatment is prescribed. For example, babies past 37 weeks in the womb are considered to be fully developed, and so the doctor may decide the best thing to do would be to induce labour or perform a C-section.
For cases where the condition develops and is detected early on in the pregnancy, other methods of treatment will be given to the mother. There are some doctors who choose to give the mother steroid shots to strengthen the baby’s lungs. Proper management of this condition will depend on further tests and each individual’s different circumstances. If the mother has either diabetes or problems with blood pressure, these will need to be monitored and brought under control for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Can You Prevent Placental Insufficiency
In order to prevent placental insufficiency in subsequent pregnancies, mothers need to ensure to get proper prenatal care. It is important for them to remain healthy and refrain from smoking, drinking and taking drugs during their pregnancy.
Though placental insufficiency does not endanger the life of the mother, it does have serious consequences for the baby. Special care needs to be taken, and routine checks should not be missed as they are important in detecting whether or not your baby is thriving or if there is some form of placental insufficiency. If there is no proper management of this condition, then your baby could be born with birth problems, and it could even result in your baby dying. However, if detected early on and proper treatment prescribed and followed, there is usually no reason to worry.
