succenturiate placenta - anyone?

[Lelly0503]

Hi I’m 32wks and at my 20 week scan they picked up an second lobe on my placenta, I think the official term is succenturiate placenta. Sonographer said she wasn’t concerned but would refer for a consultant apt which I have next week. I haven’t really been given any other info so done some of my own googling and came across vasa prévia which looks really really serious. However this hasn’t been mentioned to me, my midwife didn’t know much either she just said it’s unusual. I guess I’m worried that at my apt next week il be fobbed off as it all being fine. Anyone have any experience of this while pregnant and what the outcome was?

I also have a second lobe and unfortunately that part of it was completely covering my cervix at my 20 week scan and so I’m having a scan at 32 weeks (I’m 31 weeks atm) to see if it’s moved. I’m also really concerned about vasa previa given where my placenta is lying but until the scan I can’t do much about it and my midwife doesn’t seem concerned but she doesn’t know anymore than I do until the scan to be honest.
The second lobe shouldn’t be an issue for you if your placenta isn’t low lying, you certainly won’t have vasa previa unless it is and if they didn’t think you required an extra scan for it then I really wouldn’t worry as they obviously don’t consider there to be any risk. The consultant may arrange for you to have a scan to check it, but as I say it isn’t really an issue unless it’s low lying.

Vasa previa is so rare that it is very easily missed. Nine doctors missed mine. My gynaecologist was in her fifties and I was the first person she had seen with it (she also missed it).
Ask for an internal doppler scan to rule out vasa previa. It will only take a moment if there’s nothing to find so shouldn’t be a great inconvenience to your doctor/sonographer.

I don’t think it’s true that only a low lying placenta is a risk when you have a second lobe. The two lobes are joined in some way and if nobody has looked with a doppler the vessels could run anywhere.

But the vessels have to be covering the cervix to be a risk surely? That’s why it’s called previa, placenta previa is a placenta covering the cervix, vasa previa is the blood vessels covering the cervix. Higher risk of them abrupting because of the location? You may be right, I’m in no way an expert on the subject.

Yes, the vessels have to cover the cervix. But with two lobes, how do you know how they are joined? You could have both lobes very high joined by a vessel that goes all the way down and back up again.

I have this, picked up at 20 weeks. Not referred to consultant or anything but doing my own reading I’ve booked a private consultant scan where I’ll be asking for Doppler check on placenta.
It’s not low lying so the risk I think isn’t that big but I want to make sure.

Thanks both for your advice, at my apt next week il certainly ask about Vasa Previa. I’ve found a clinic that offers the Doppler scan privately if for any reason they don’t do it next week. I’m there for an ultrasound for a closer look at the second lobe so hopefully they can see a bit more than they could at 20wks. I think Bcos the outcome of vasa previa is so devastating yet so avoidable at the same time I just want to me completely sure x

I don’t blame u @cookit. Nobody has much info to give you until you start googling. I will say tho that as well as reading a lot about vasa previa I also came across a lot of stories of women who had a second lobe and it caused no problems at all, some weren’t picked up until they actually delivered. So I do think it’s very rare but like I said upthread it’s just not worth the risk not knowing x

I have to say, for a good month after 20 week scan I felt really low about it ... like no one would help (midwives not bothered) but potentially I had a ticking time bomb inside me.
For no reason whatsoever, other than being in 3rd trimester and feeling like it’s all more real, I feel more positive now and I agree, there seem to be cases where no one knew at all which is good.
Although obviously the vessels could be anywhere the midiwives seemed to suggest this was less likely the higher the placenta was. So I’m just telling myself it’s a low risk anyway and by getting it properly checked out I’m hopefully doing what I can.
Let me know how you get on.

Missing the diagnosis is something to worry about, but having it needn‘t be worrying at all. Mine was eventually found antenally and I had a calm planned section and a very healthy premature baby.

Will do @cookit I sort of feel the opposite that I’ve been calm about it, everyone very blasé so far but now I nearing the end I’ve started worrying more. I think one of the placentas is anterior the main one and the second lobe is attached to the side of my womb. So be interesting to see where it all is on my apt x

@Lelly0503 Hi, I just come across your post and I am in a similar situation and just wondered how you got on in the end? I am 28 weeks and after being admitted twice with bleeding in the last 2 weeks I have been diagnosed with a low lying succenturiate lobe which is attached to my main placenta. At my 20 week scan it was said my placenta was low lying, but nothing about a second lobe, my main placenta has now moved up and this is where the lobe has been picked up.

The scan did not check the position of the vessels etc and I’ve been told they will not check this until I’m 34 weeks, I am also extremely worried about Vasa Previa, especially as I have been told I’m at risk of pre term labour and have had a course of steroid injections incase, it just seems too long to wait?

Any information would be much appreciated, I am considering paying for a private transvaginal Doppler scan next week

Hi did you have your baby? Was it natural or c section? How was your delivery? I really hope you had a safe delivery and you and baby are fine. I really hope you can reply back. I’m in same situation was picked up at my 20th week scan. I’m so scared of giving birth this time I had three natural birth but this time I’m diagnosed with extra lope with my placenta. Please reply. Thank you. 😊

DestinyB I really hope you find this in good spirit and reply back. How did everything go? I’m currently 31 weeks same situation as you but no bleeding. So wondering how it went hope you see this