eagan@druxp.UUCP (EaganMS) (09/11/85)
I am 15 weeks pregnant, and after having an ultrasound recently ( because of specific problems I have had) I learned that I have what's called placenta previa. From the little I've been able to read on it (no books I have have more than a paragraph on it) it does not sound like a very good thing. In fact, it sounds very bad. Does anyone have any information on this? My doctor did not spend much time with me, but left me KNOWING that I could hemorage very badly at any time. At the same time I have been told that I can swim (very carefully), but cannot do much else. I'm not sure what that means though. Does that include walking? Sitting for long periods of time? Etc... Should I be working, or should I be in bed (BORING)? Should I NOT be swimming??? What are my chances of miscarriage? He said in some cases the placenta can move and everything will be OK, but I will not be checked again until my 7th month (with ultrasound). In the meantime, I have decided to try to educate myself as much as I can. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks A lot Marianne Eagan ihnp4 (druxq!eagan)
craig@pyuxv.UUCP (09/12/85)
>I am 15 weeks pregnant, and... learned that I have what's called >placenta previa. From the little I've been able to read on it (no >books I have have more than a paragraph on it) it does not sound like >a very good thing. In fact, it sounds very bad. >Does anyone have any information on this? My doctor did not spend >much time with me... It is unfortunate that your Dr. [OB/GYN?] is keeping information about your condition to her/himself. If he/she is not more forthcoming shouldn't you consider changing Drs. or at least contacting another for a second opinion. You should not relinquish your right to have satisfactory answers to *all* of your questions. You are entitled to know and he/she is obliged to tell, if you ask. ASK! When you have asked all of *your* questions, ask if there is *anything else* you should ask about. >Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. OB/GYN physicians pay very high malpractice insurance premiums. I'm not surprised. >Marianne Eagan ihnp4 (druxq!eagan) >
peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (09/24/85)
>pyuxv!craig > >?? > >I am 15 weeks pregnant, and... learned that I have what's called > >placenta previa. From the little I've been able to read on it (no > >books I have have more than a paragraph on it) it does not sound like > >a very good thing. In fact, it sounds very bad. > >Does anyone have any information on this? My doctor did not spend > >much time with me... > > It is unfortunate that your Dr. [OB/GYN?] is keeping information > about your condition to her/himself. If he/she is not more > [more flames about bad doctors & malpractice suits] That's a pretty information-free posting, Craig. If you can't answer the question hit 'n' instead of 'f'. Or at least hit 'r'. Now then, we just purchased a few good books on pregnancy, and according to one that has a fairly large section on complications: "Placenta Previa: "In this condition some or all of the placenta is lying in the lower part of the uterus, either close to the cervix or even over it. Placenta Previa occurs in between one in 100 or one in 200 births. "When most of the placenta is low-lying it can cause bleeding in the last eight weeks of pregnancy (see Antepartum Hemmorhage). This bleeding is sometimes enough to require blood transfusion. The bleeding is painless and usually stops after a few hours of bed rest. It can recommence, however, and patients who have had bleeding from a placenta previa are therefore safer if they rest in the hospital until the baby is safely delivered. "The diagnosis of a placenta previa can be made with an ultrasound scan which gives a picture of the placenta. Other methods are used in some hospit- als: sometimes an X-ray is taken but this does not always clearly delineate the placenta. "A placenta previa also prevents the baby's head from entering the pelvis and prevents normal delivery. The obstruction means that the baby must be delivered by cesarean section. This is usually performed early at 38 weeks of pregnancy, as excessive bleeding may be a big problem if the pregnancy is allowed to go to term. "If a placenta previa is suspected but it has not been possible to confirm it during pregnancy, a vaginal examination is carried out under an anesthetic at 38 weeks and a cesarean section is done only if the placenta is found lying over the cervix. This vaginal examination is not done earlier as the examination could in itself start more bleeding. "Sometimes only one edge of the placenta is in the lower part of the uterus. In this case it may be drawn up and out of the way in labor, permitting a vaginal delivery without any extra blood loss. If it does cause bleeding in labor, however, a cesarian section will be necessary. "See doctor immediately <italics>" -- A New Life, Van Nostrand, 1979. Edited by John T. Queenan, M.D. Hope this helps, and good luck.
craig@pyuxv.UUCP (10/01/85)
>> >I am 15 weeks pregnant, and... learned that I have what's called >> >placenta previa. From the little I've been able to read on it >> >[some text omitted] it sounds very bad. My doctor did not spend >> >much time with me... The lady who posted the original item had read books and discovered that Placenta Previa was a "very bad" complication of pregnancy. (see above) >> It is unfortunate that your Dr. [OB/GYN?] is keeping information >> about your condition to her/himself. If he/she is not more >> [more flames about bad doctors & malpractice suits] ^^^^^^^^^^^ My response did not characterize doctors as good or bad. I do know that the Med School graduate at the bottom of the class is given the title 'Doctor', so I assume there are good ones and some not-so-good. >That's a pretty information-free posting, Craig. If you can't answer the >question hit 'n' instead of 'f'. Or at least hit 'r'. Good advice. I might add that the daSilva response was somewhat devoid of answers to the real question in the original posting. To paraphrase, the crux of that question was... my Dr. charges me for "information-free" advice about my condition. But I would like to know: How should I amend my life style to best cope with this complication...? Who would be the best authority to answer that query? Shall we post a list of dos and don'ts without knowing the circumstances in detail, or should the patient insist on more information from her personal physician? I think the responses, Peter's and mine, arrived at the same conclusion: > "See doctor immediately <italics>" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ..!ihnp4!pyuxv!craig (RB Craig @ Bell Communications Research) Piscataway, NJ 08854-1300 "Bound for the rainbow's end..." Rhetorical question: Is this news group net.med or net.meddle?