Day 31 – Diagnosis, Treatment, and a Cautionary Story

“At the very least, [placenta accreta/percreta] often results in severe hemorrhage, hysterectomy, loss of fertility, uterine rupture, and significant damage to the urological system or abdomen of the mother, not to mention prematurity in the baby.

This is why it is important to avoid the first cesarean whenever possible, to not automatically schedule repeat cesareans in most women, and to make sure that VBAC stays an option for as many women as possible.

Unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of what’s happening in many places right now. And that’s why the world will continue to see a strong rise in the number of women experiencing placenta accreta and all its complications.  As one recent study concluded:

If primary and secondary cesarean rates continue to rise as they have in recent years, by 2020 the cesarean delivery rate will be 56.2%, and there will be an additional 6236 placenta previas, 4504 placenta accretas, and 130 maternal deaths annually…If cesarean rates continue to increase, the annual incidence of placenta previa, placenta accreta, and maternal death will also rise substantially.”