The placenta is the most important organ responsible for feeding, breathing and protecting the fetus. One of the most common complications of pregnancy is placental insufficiency - a violation of blood circulation between the mother, placenta and fetus.
Placental insufficiency - causes
The following factors can lead to placental insufficiency during pregnancy:
- diseases of the thyroid gland, kidneys, cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus;
- pathology of pregnancy (anemia, gestosis, placenta previa) or abortion;
- gynecological diseases (uterine myoma, endometriosis, sexually transmitted infections) or developmental defects of the uterus (bicorneous or saddle-shaped uterus);
- bad habits (smoking during pregnancy, drinking alcohol and drugs);
- the age of the pregnant over 35;
- disorders of the pituitary and ovaries;
- a premature pregnancy;
- adverse ecology.
The risk of developing placental insufficiency is especially great in very young or elderly women. The consequences of placental insufficiency may be premature placental abruption, abortion, intrauterine growth retardation or prolonged hypoxia. In the most unfavorable cases, placental insufficiency can lead to the death of the child.
What is placental insufficiency?
There are several classifications of placental insufficiency. According to the nature of the current, acute and chronic placental insufficiency is distinguished, which, in turn, is compensated and decompensated.
The most dangerous form is acute, as premature detachment of the placenta occurs, which jeopardizes the life of the child, and sometimes of the mother.
With chronic decompensated placental insufficiency, the deterioration of uteroplacental blood flow and the state of the baby is gradual, but unswervingly. Oxygen starvation of a child leads to a delay in development and a violation of the heartbeat.
With compensated placental insufficiency, the blood supply deteriorates gradually and insignificantly, so that the fetus can adapt to these changes.
By the time of origin, primary and secondary placental insufficiency is distinguished. Primary placental insufficiency develops in the formation of the placenta (up to 16 weeks). The result of the complication may be congenital malformations of the fetus, frozen pregnancy, miscarriage. Secondary placental insufficiency occurs only after the placenta has formed.
Modern methods of examination (Dopplerometry) have made it possible to classify placental insufficiency by the degree of disturbance of blood flow in the mama-placenta-child system:
- placental insufficiency of 1 degree - expressed utero-placental or fruit-placental insufficiency;
- placental insufficiency of 2 degrees - a violation of utero-placental and fetoplacental blood flow;
- placental insufficiency of the third degree is a critical violation of the placental blood flow in the absence of uteroplacental blood flow.
Placental insufficiency - treatment
Unfortunately, placental insufficiency does not always manage to be cured, nevertheless, it is necessary to comply with all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor, as this will help to avoid the development of complications. Compensated
Pregnant women prescribe drugs that improve uteroplacental blood flow ("Eufillin"), microcirculation of blood ("Kurantil") and metabolism ("Actovegin", vitamins E, C), as well as drugs that reduce the tone of the uterus ("Ginipral", " Magnesium sulfate"). To calm the future mother will help "Glycine", preparations of valerian or motherwort. Pregnant need to sleep more, walk in the fresh air, and take multivitamins.
Prevention of placental insufficiency is the complete abandonment of harmful habits (if possible before pregnancy), nutrition, timely detection and treatment of diseases and sexual infections.