Placenta abruptio

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Anatomy of a normal placenta	Cesarean section	Placenta	Placenta
Placenta	Ultrasound, color - normal umbilical cord	Ultrasound, normal fetus - arms and legs	Ultrasound, normal placenta - Braxton Hicks
Ultrasound, normal relaxed placenta	Ultrasound in pregnancy

Placenta abruptio is the separation of the placenta (the organ that nourishes the fetus) from its attachment to the uterus wall before the baby is delivered.

Premature separation of placenta; Ablatio placentae; Abruptio placentae; Placental abruption

The exact cause of a placental abruption may be hard to determine.

Direct causes are rare, but include:

• Injury to the belly area (abdomen) from a fall, hit to the abdomen, or automobile accident
• Sudden loss of uterine volume (can occur with rapid loss of amniotic fluid or after a first twin is delivered)

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Risk factors include:

• Blood clotting disorders (thrombophilias)
• Cigarette smoking
• Cocaine use
• Diabetes
• Drinking more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week during pregnancy
• High blood pressure during pregnancy (about half of placental abruptions that lead to the baby's death are linked to high blood pressure)
• History of placenta abruptio
• Increased uterine distention (may occur with multiple pregnancies or very large volume of amniotic fluid)
• Large number of past deliveries
• Older mother
• Premature rupture of membranes (the bag of water breaks before 37 weeks into the pregnancy)
• Uterine fibroids

Placental abruption, which includes any amount of placental separation before delivery, occurs in about 1 out of 150 deliveries. The severe form, which can cause the baby to die, occurs only in about 1 out of 800 to 1,600 deliveries.

Review Date: 11/21/2010
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).