Placenta Accreta/Increta

[kirsten1985]

I had placenta accreta during my last pregnancy and as well as a lot of bleeding whilst pregnant it created huge post birth complications. I have been told it is quite likely to happen again, so I will be high risk and will have a C/S. Has anyone has this more than once?

 

[twinklestar]

hi, cant they tell on scan if you have it again? c-section increases the risk of it happening in the next pregnancy does'nt it

xx

 

[kirsten1985]

Yeah they will be able to tell when I am pregnant if I have it again hopefully, but they couldn't tell 'til afterwards last time. They can only tell if they look at the blood flow, which they didn't do. I didn't have a c-section last time, but they ended up leaving most of the placenta in for 3months after Freya was born. This time they will be surgically removing it at the birth, plus or minus a hysterectomy if it is properly stuck. I was booked in for a hyst. a few months ago but the placenta ended up coming loose on it's own.

I just wanted to know what the real chances of it occuring again were, as I didn't get much idea from the doctors.

 

[poppy]

You poor thing Kirstin. Did they give you any idea of why you had an accretia? I have heard of it happening when placentas adhere to old caesarean scars but not in first time pregnancies.

I would have thought that you will definately be monitored in a second pregnancy and that they will have measures put in place for the birth should it happen again. However, it by no means will definately happen again. You do have an increased risk but it is not a given. I had a retained placenta when I had Tristan, when the whole thing did not come out and had to be removed in theatre half an hour after birth - the doc, put her hand 'up there' and pulled it out (I have posted somewhere about this) but it did come away in one piece and fairly easily (the doctor said), so I don't think this was an accretia. I have been reading on the internet that I have an increased chance of it happening again, which does worry me. I spoke to my mate who is a gynaecologist and he said, that it wouldn't necessarily happen again if I got pregnant and to make sure the doctors know about it during labour.

I am sure that you have read loads on it (although, if you are like me, googling can end up overly worrying!!!) and will know to get a consultant etc when you become pregnant again.

If the accretia does happen again, is it definite that you will have to have a hysterectomy? Could they not do a C-section and remove the placenta whilst still keeping your womb in tact? I thought they could do that?

Are you thinking of trying for number two soon? Good luck, I hope things work out for you!

xxx

 

[kirsten1985]

Hi Poppy, yeah I had to have a manual removal in theatre too, that's when they founnd out how stuck it was .

I have read that it is likely to happen if you have had previous c-sections, multiple pregnancies, endometriosis or other conditions involving scar tissue, PCOS or things like that. I have none of those so I don't know what went wrong!

They will be doing a c-section next time, and will try to remove the placenta that way, but apparently there is a big risk of hemorrhage, so if that happened I would need a hysterectomy. Also, I am not happy with them leaving it in like they did this time to see if it comes away on it's own as this prevented me from BFing, which is def not happening again.

We are not TTC just yet, it will be a year or so I think!

Thanks xx

 

[rachelrhin0]

I had Placenta Increta in my last pregnancy. I had a c-section and bleed way too much. My count got down to 4.6 I think. The doctors thought I was goning to need a hysterectomy b/c of infection and too much blood loss after the c-section. Thankfully I didn't have to have one. I was told that it's very possible to happen again. I sure hope it doesn't though.

 

[nicki24]

Hi Kirsten. Sorry, I'm new to this. I had placenta accreta twice, with both my children. First one was a surprise, bled a lot, had to get 2 blood transfusions and a week later went in for a D&C because i was still hemorrhaging. Baby #2 came along and the doctor told me I would probably have it again, which I happened to get it twice; another blood transfusion with him, I didn't get the talk about a hysterectomy though. If they couldn't stop the bleeding after a D&C then yes, but that's what we get done here, is the D&C, which helps.

 

[nicki24]

Kirsten, I forgot to mention, when I got pregnant with baby #2, I didn't get a cesarean, was naturally, like the first one. But with all the hemorrhaging I went on iron for 6 months.