The placenta is an organ which connects the developing foetus to the uterine wall of the mother. It provides oxygen and nutrients to the little one and removes waste products from the baby’s blood. The placenta is expelled from the body after the birth of the child. For most women, this expulsion happens on its own, but in some cases, this process may not happen automatically. This phenomenon is known as a retained placenta.
The delivery process is not complete with the birth of a child. The expulsion of the placenta is the final stage in the delivery process. Labour takes place in 3 steps:
As the name suggests, a retained placenta is a condition where the placenta is not expelled from the body naturally after the birth of the child. In such a scenario, the process must be manipulated in order to remove the postpartum retained placenta from the woman’s womb. If the body has not expelled the placenta within 30 minutes, it is considered as retained placenta because the body has kept the placenta instead of removing it.
If the retained placental tissue is not treated, the mother is susceptible to health hazards like infections and blood loss.
Retained placenta can be of three types:
Following are the common reasons which can cause retained placenta:
The placenta should be discharged completely within 30 minutes after the baby’s delivery. If the placenta fails to be completely removed from the womb within an hour after baby’s delivery, it is a clear sign of retained placenta.
A woman may also experience the following symptoms in case of retained placenta:
You should contact your doctor or midwife if you experience any of the symptoms for a prolonged period after the birth of your child.
There are certain risk factors which can increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing retained placenta. They are as follows:
It is not necessary that women who are high on these risks will experience retained placenta, but if you have any of the above risk factors, you should inform your doctor about them in advance.
A careful examination after delivery can help the midwife or the doctor identify if there is a case of retained placenta.
In some cases, there may be partial retention of the placenta. A careful examination of the expelled placenta can help the doctor identify such a case. If the doctor is unable to notice that a small part is missing from the placenta, the woman will soon display symptoms of retained placenta.
The doctor will perform an ultrasound to look at the uterus they suspect that you have a retained placenta. Immediate treatment will be required to avoid complications in case any part of the placenta is missing.
Durin a vaginal birth, the uterus prevents the blood vessels from bleeding excessively through contractions. A placental tissue that has remained will not allow proper contraction causing a haemorrhage.
Exercises to stimulate the release of the oxytocin can be done by gently massaging the nipples. This should be done in the event of delayed labour. The hormone will cause contractions which will help to remove the placenta.
You can also try changing your position and turn upside down to expel the placenta.
The doctor can also give you medication to help with the extraction in the form of an injection of oxytocin. Following an injection, the doctor can manually assist in the removal of the placenta. In case the placental is still not expelled, a saline injection will be administered into the umbilical vein, followed by a second oxytocin injection.
There are different methods by which the retained placenta can be removed.
There is a chance that a woman might suffer from retained placenta if the previous birth was by a caesarean section surgery. Placenta Accreta is a situation where the placenta becomes deeply embedded in the womb, possibly due to a scar from a previous caesarean section surgery resulting in retained placenta.
While preparing for delivery, doctors do everything possible to ensure complete delivery of placenta after the birth of the baby. The following steps can be taken during labour to minimise the chances of retained placenta:
Some doctors may encourage you to gently run your hands over your abdomen in an attempt to reduce the haemorrhaging which would prevent the uterus from expanding.
Here are a few precautions that can be taken in order to minimise the chances of retained placenta.
Removal of placenta is a critical part of the labour process and its complete expulsion is important for ensuring normal delivery without further complications. Special care should be taken to minimise the risk of having a retained placenta. The doctors should be well informed about any risks or past events which expose you to a greater risk of getting affected by this condition.
In case of retained placenta, it is important to get the necessary treatment done immediately and then follow your doctor’s instructions to recover from the implications of this condition.