Can you tell from a scan if you are likely to have a retained placenta?

[shinyshilling]

I had a retained placenta in my last pregnancy and had to go to hospital after a lovely home waterbirth. It knacked having it removed much more than giving birth. I want to have another home waterbirth in December but the midwife has told me that I may have to transfer again as it is "Highly likely that I will have another retained placenta". I am going for my second scan next week. May it be possible for them to detect from a scan if this is likely to happen again? What are people's views on a natural third stage as opposed to a managed one? I would prefer to have a natural third stage but the MW says that an immediate jab of sytometrine will help the placenta to come out. I have read conflicting information saying that it can cause the cervix to close too quickly. Does anyone have any more insight. I'd be really grateful for any help as I want to avoid the pain and discomfort again. I actually feel much more scared of what is to come this time, knowing that this might be a factor.

I will watch this with interest shinyshilling as I had a retained placenta too, and after an epidural free labour and birth had to have one to remove it as the drugs to dispell it did not work for me. And like you this concerns me more about another birth than the birth.

Hi shinyshilling, I had a retained placenta last time round and will be seeing a midwife this week so I will ask her opinion on the likelyhood of having the same again. I had a very quick and easy labour and didn't use any pain relief so was very disappointed in having to have a general anaesthetic to remove the placenta. The midwives had given it loads of time to deliver and I think I had the injection too but eventually the cord broke away and they decided that it would be better to have it removed under anaesthetic. At that stage I just wanted to be with dd and dh so I would have agreed to anything to get it over and done with.

Actually Shiny I have been thinking about this, just spoke to DH about it as I wanted a homebirth next time...

I had a few problems with DD growing in my womb prior to birth, and had about 3 scans leading up to my birth, the last of these checked the placenta and oxygen levels to see if there were any reasons here that meant DD was not growing.
Any concerns with my placenta would have been highlighted at this point, I am sure, as that was one of the things they were checking for - not this specifically but checking the placenta was functioning normally. There was nothing untoward presented in this last scan two days before DD was born.

So I thinking that, therefore, a scan might not be an accurate assessment.

My cord broke too, and so did the placenta as it was removed, under local [shock[. However, the consultant told me that there was no clear reason for the placenta to be retained, sometimes it happens and not an indicator of it occuring again.

I think they are just covering themselves by having you in hospital.

Its funny that sometimes you have to recall stories out loud to remember the details!

Unfortunately i had a retained placenta with DD1 and DD2. We are TTC DC 3 atm and have resigned myself with the fact that i will probably have another.
I have researched on the internet for suggestions on how to prevent and found some interesting information on it.
Suggestions are to have a physiological 3rd stage and to clamp the cord after it has stopped pulsating.
I have also requested copies of my medical notes from the hospital so i can be clear on what happened both times so i know what if anything i can try differently.

I had a physiological 3rd stage which was wonderful and did not clamp the cord until it had stopped pulsating but I was pressured into having the jabs after 1 hour and still no placenta. From that point onwards it was panic stations to get it out before my cervix closed, cue some very traumatic and painful attempts at removal under G&A and finally a dash to theatre for a spinal and more rummaging around, registrar was awful.

I have just received my hospital notes which I requested to help me try and mentally recover but they didn't really help, just brought it all back. Registrar put normal delivery and active 3rd stage next time although mw and cons had said there was no logic or reason to it happening again but they can't assume or guess either way. I would like a homebirth next time but dh isn't keen, I am inclined to not worry too much until I actually need to but will watch avidly to see if anyone else has any thing more helpful to say.

It is slightly more likely to have a retained placenta a second time although it depends why it was retained. It is much more likely if it was well and truly still attached to the uterus. I had a retained placenta the 1st time and felt that it was due to the sytometrin and subsequent ergometrin as I was told the placenta had separated but was trapped as my cervix had shut. It was manually removed in the delivery room as I had had an epidural and then after another 12 weeks of bleeding I had a d&c under a general to remove the remaining placenta that had been left behind - not a great start to motherhood!! Subsequently with 2nd ds - I was determined not to go through the same thing again, I had a physiological 3rd stage with no problems and delivered the placenta after 1/2 hour. It is worth doing some research before you are pushed into a delivery you don't want. AIMS do a great little booklet on the 3rd stage of labour.