Low lying placenta - bleeding

[ejclementine]

Hi all, I'm 17 weeks tomorrow and have a low lying (posterior) placenta. Yesterday I went to a&e and the doctor said I was having a threatened miscarriage after finding fresh blood around my (closed) cervix. The baby had a good heartbeat so all positive signs and the bleeding has stopped. I just wondered if others with a low placenta have experienced similar and also if there's anything you need to do to prevent this from happening? I'm back at hospital this week for a scan and follow up appointment so I'll find out more then too.

[Grizzer]

Hi, I'm almost 16 weeks & have a low anterior placenta. I have had 3 big bleeds & spotting for almost a week (since the last bleed). My hospital said I'm bleeding because of the placenta & am likely to bleed all the way through the pregnancy. There was no mention of miscarriage & the advice was to carry on as normal as it's not uncommon.
I've had 3 mcs so I'm finding it hard to relax but I don't think it's a sign of mc if your cervix is closed & the heartbeat is fine.
Hope everything works out for you. My opinion is your Dr shouldn't have said threatened miscarriage because of some blood. Many women bleed for all sorts of reasons.

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

I'd guess the bleeding is from your placenta rather than a mc. I had placenta praevia with my first. I had some early bleeds (11 and 19 weeks) but not too big. Thern nothing until a massive one at 35 weeks when DS was delivered at 36+1.
I don't think there's much you can do really. It seems some women with this bleed and others don't and seems to be just luck.
It might still move up throughout pregnancy - they'll check again at 20 weeks and 32 week scans.
If it doesn't move it will be a c section - I think it needs to be over 2cm clear to deliver vaginally.

The only things that might help are pelvic rest and just being prepared. I still hadnt packed my bags (was going to do it on maternity leave) when I was taken in at week 35.

[ejclementine]

Thanks for your replies. I burst into tears when he said 'threatened miscarriage' - apparently it's a clinical term that's used for any blood loss in early pregnancy before 24 weeks but it certainly packs a punch when you're already stressed enough. The bleeding has stopped now though so I'll just need to wait and see what comes up at appointment this week.

[NurseP]

I had the same. Bleeding stopped about 25 weeks. At 34 weeks I had another scan and placenta had moved up.hope all goes ok and it soon settles. Horrible worrying times and the term threatened miscarriage does not help!