Low-lying placenta at 20 weeks

[openerofjars]

I had my second scan today and have a lovely, health foetus in there, all bits present and correct and very lively. However, its placenta isn't so well behaved and is quite close to the os (2cm, ish).

Now I know I shouldn't EVER be Googling health stuff but we weren't told, and didn't think to ask, about whether sex was now a Bad Idea. Dr Google has all sorts of advice, from "never did me any harm" to "any kind of sex, even of the non-invasive kind, will lead to untold horrors".

Does anyone have any actual information about this? I'm seeing my midwife tomorrow anyway but am understandably a bit mithered and could do with some handholding before then.

I haven't had any bleeding (but not much sex either). But I am all sorts of worried and irrational and crapping myself a bit, like the massive wuss I am.

TIA

hi i have been told the same at my scan a couple of weeks ago (although not sure about how close mine is they didnt mention measurements, but said its close not covering i think). Like you i didn't ask much just chances of having a c section, I asked my midwife about sex and excerice (ha!) and was told to carry on as normal, sould cause no problems but obviously if i was to bleed i should phone hosp. hope that helps

Thanks, any good luck! MW was lovely and reassuring, and sex is back on the cards (DH will be delighted).

I'm going to warn work that if I bleed at all, they won't see me for dust but otherwise carry on as normal.

All the best :)

Hi. Had same thing. Didn't think anything of it at the time. Then had a big bleed at 28 weeks and was hospitalised till 37 weeks. Then c section. All well.
Everyone ensured me that I should just carry on but once the bleed was there they told me to take it slowly.
Am pregnant again and if placenta is low again, I'll
(cry) and take it easy.

At 20 weeks it may still rise. There is a whole segment of your uterus that hasn't grown yet and there is a good chance that when it does grow it will push the placenta up :-)

Bandita, . That's fairly terrifying and must have been horrible at the time. Hope both you and DC are okay now.

Thanks both, I think it's a case of forget about it unless I bleed and keep my fingers crossed for the scan at 32 weeks. My MW is very optimistic, and thinks that I will in all probability still be able to have the home birth I really want, and I am 10 minutes by car (if that) from the wonderful maternity hospital where DS was born.

At this stage, I am of course still in denial that this baby will need to come out at all and am still hoping that a magic unicorn with special powers will come along and magic it out of me painlessly and tidily at exactly 40 weeks, with free chocolate thrown in.

I am also now very frequently knicker-checking for bleeding.

There has to be a better way to make people than this.

I also love my feature wall(s). I want to take the bedroom wallpaper with me if when we move house.

Mine was low lying, but covering. I was told 95% move and not to really concern myself.

However, i was in the 5% and had a slight bleed at 29 weeks, and then a big one at 31 weeks, delivery at 36 weeks. After the 1st bleed and confirmation that the placenta was low lying, all the medical staff were much more cautious about travel, sex, activity levels.

If you have a look on here there are a fair few PP threads and (to me) it seems that most people, if they still have low lying placenta's tend to have a bleed before any scheduled rescan - mine was 34 weeks.

Hopefully, and statistically you will be, in the 95%, but please do just be aware that do have a higher risk of bleeding, and if you do then please do take it seriously. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and for being in the majority

Thank you.

That's the thing, though, isn't it? Everyone says that I'm 90% likely to have the placenta move, but someone's got to be in the 10%. I'd love to be really upbeat about the whole thing but no amount of positive thinking is going to shift the thing. But then neither is being fearful and negative going to help me or Bump, so I think my best tack is to get all Doris Day about it and submit to fate.

The lovely sonographlaw yesterday was great: the first thing she said was that it wasn't because of anything I had or hadn't done.

I'm sorry Open, i didn't want to scare you, but i was actually so unprepared for anything happening, that when it did it was horrid. I think, although difficult to put yourself back in that position, that i had been slightly more aware.

I think the fact that yours is only 'quite close' rather than completely covering (which mine was) that you are in a much more likely position to be in the 90/95% than i was.

Please feel free to ask any Q's BTW, happy to help if i can.

Sorry,'that i wish i had been slightly more aware'

'sallright, I come pre-scared, as it were!

I would much rather prepare for the worst and not need the info than go, "Wtf? No one told me about this !" as they wheel me into theatre.

Right, off to watch shite telly and absolutely not check my pants every five minutes at all, oh no, not me .

Take care. x

Hopefully you will be fine, had the same thing at 20 weeks where they couldn't see if it was covering os or not, just had 32 week scan and mine has moved out of the way. Didn't have any bleeding and sex no problem. Be careful with lifting and be watchful for bleeding, be prepared for, but try not to over think things and panic yourself.

I'm a sonographer: where I work 2cm is not classed as low it is clear. is your placenta anterior or posterior? are they scanning you again or leaving it. you would not be offerered another scan for that distance. the NICE guidelines have recently changed but I think they only. ow rescan for abutting and c

oops sorry posted when I hadn't finished

abutting or covering os (baby's exit)

it's the luck of the draw where your placenta grows. it's just one of those things
don't stress about it though !

Hi,
Had 20wk scan yesterday & got told I have this too. I've to go for another scan at 32 weeks.

Hi,

I was told that I had a low lying anterior placenta at my 20 week scan, but I had to have a growth scan on Monday (at 28 weeks), and it's moved already (I was due to have another scan at 32 weeks, but no longer necessary).Good luck x

All those ladies that had a low lying placenta throughout, did you feel lots of pressure in your lower tummy? I am waiting for my 32 week scan to see if my placenta has moved but have had this pressure consistantly since about 16weeks - just wondered if the 2 are linked?

No major tummy pressure - mine was rib pain, as because DD1 couldn't descend, she went upwards instead. I was forever literally pushing her down as i couldn't breathe and it hurt my ribs!

I had a partial o/s. No symptoms whatsoever. If it wasn't for the scan I would never have known. No bleeds and carried on with swimming, yoga etc. Went into hospital at 37 weeks just in case I went into labour, then had him by very straightforward C section at 38 +2. All relatively easy. Try not to worry.

I think what this thread is telling me is that the Doris approach is the only sane way forwards. I have briefed work about it, briefly, and DH is going to give his work the heads up, just in case. One of DS's many many grandparents will grab him if needs be and I will pack an Oh Fuck Rucksack (of the overnight stay in hospital variety) just in case. Then I will batten down the hatches and wait calmly for nothing to happen until I have a lovely 5 hour water birth at home at exactly 39 weeks.

Worley, the placenta is anterior and I was guessing a bit at 2cm as I tend to get a bit vague when uniformed people tell me scary things in hospitals, even if they are very, very kind about it. This is why DH comes to all my appointments with me. I am sure that if the sonographer at the hospital I had my scan at thought there wasn't a problem then she would have said so, but she got a colleague in to double check and then referred me to the consultant.

I tell you what though, I am extremely impressed with the speed of the appointments system here, though: I got my appointment letter today.

Dollybird and Panzee, that's cheering!

No pressure up or down here, just some side abdominal pain which I think is from another underlying medical condition I already have. Mind you, 20 weeks is well early doors.

All the best to all and pass the maltesers.

if its anterior it will probably be no probs at all. as your tummy expands it will pull it up out of way more than if it was anterior. and will be much easier to see further on. if it was posterior I would say prepare yourself for an internal scan as they are so hard to see the edge of placenta at later stages. are they scanning you at 34 or 36 weeks. we refer ladies in to the midwives after to if it's low just to brief them. some hospitals don't even rescan unless it's actually covering babies exit! we're quite cautious where I work though.
is this your first baby? or have you had a csection before? that can change factors and make them cautious.
good luck with everything and enjoy your pregnancy