Pregnancy Loss Causes and Risk Factors Preventing Placental Abruption Contractions and bleeding are signs of this dangerous condition By Krissi Danielsson Krissi Danielsson, MD is a doctor of family medicine and an advocate for those who have experienced miscarriage. Learn about our editorial process Krissi Danielsson Fact checked by Fact checked by Andrea Rice on October 06, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin Andrea Rice is an award-winning journalist and a freelance writer, editor, and fact checker specializing in health and wellness. Learn about our editorial process Andrea Rice Updated on October 06, 2020 Print Bruce Blaus/Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons Placental abruption is the term for when part or all of the placenta separates unexpectedly from the uterus after the 20th week of pregnancy. Severe placental abruption is a major risk factor for stillbirth or preterm delivery. It is also known as premature separation of the placenta, ablatio placentae, abruptio placentae or placenta abruption. The condition occurs in 1% of all pregnancies, most commonly in the third trimester. Signs and Symptoms Signs of placental abruption may include vaginal bleeding, tenderness or pain in the abdomen and frequent contractions. All vaginal bleeding in the second or third trimester should merit a call to a healthcare practitioner. Placental abruption does not always cause vaginal bleeding, however, so you should always call if you suspect you may be experiencing placental abruption. (Better to err on the side of caution when in doubt.) Risk Factors and Causes Trauma to the abdomen in late pregnancy and infections in the uterus can cause placental abruption, but the condition can also occur without warning. Known risk factors for abruption of the placenta include: SmokingUsing cocaine during pregnancyBeing over 35 years of ageHaving a multiple pregnancyHigh blood pressureRiding a roller coaster Having a blood clotting disorder like antiphospholipid syndromePlacental abruption in a previous pregnancyPremature rupture of membranes Treatment for Placental Abruption In most cases of placental abruption, the placenta is only partially separated from the uterus rather than being entirely separate. When a larger percentage of the placenta is separated, the risk is higher than when the separation involves only a small part of the placenta. Odds of stillbirth go up drastically in placental abruption cases where more than 50% of the placenta is separated. When a woman has symptoms of placental abruption, the healthcare practitioner will usually do a physical exam and an ultrasound. If doctors suspect serious abruption of the placenta, the usual treatment is to deliver the baby–by C-section in some cases. Unfortunately, delivery does not always mean the baby survives. If a severe abruption happens before the baby is viable, such as before 24 weeks of pregnancy, doctors may not be able to save the baby at all. Mothers who have suffered a severe placental abruption may experience heavy blood loss, and babies who survive delivery may face complications from prematurity and oxygen deprivation. When the placental abruption is less severe and is not posing an immediate risk to the mother or the baby, doctors may hospitalize the mother and keep her on bed rest with close monitoring. This can increase the odds that the baby will survive without serious health complications. Sometimes the bleeding will stop and the woman will be able to return home for the remainder of the pregnancy, but some may need to remain in the hospital. If doctors expect the baby to be delivered between 24 and 34 weeks, they may prescribe steroids to help the baby's lungs mature more quickly to improve odds for survival. Women who have had placental abruption in a past pregnancy may be considered high-risk in all future pregnancies, given that the condition recurs 10% of the time. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips delivered to your inbox. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Ghaheh HS, Feizi A, Mousavi M, Sohrabi D, Mesghari L, Hosseini Z. Risk factors of placental abruption. J Res Med Sci. 2013;18(5):422-426. Koifman A, Levy A, Zaulan Y, et al. The clinical significance of bleeding during the second trimester of pregnancy. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2008;278(1):47-51. doi:10.1007/s00404-007-0530-2 Schmidt P, Skelly C, Raines D. Placental Abruption (Abruptio Placentae). 2019. Cuadrado MJ, Lopez-pedrera C. Antiphospholipid syndrome. Clin Exp Med. 2003;3(3):129-39. doi:10.1007/s10238-003-0016-x Han CS, Schatz F, Lockwood CJ. Abruption-associated prematurity. Clin Perinatol. 2011;38(3):407-421. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2011.06.001 Ananth CV, Lavery JA, Vintzileos AM, et al. Severe placental abruption: clinical definition and associations with maternal complications. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;214(2):272.e1-272.e9. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2015.09.069 Roberts D, Brown J, Medley N, Dalziel SR. Antenatal corticosteroids for accelerating fetal lung maturation for women at risk of preterm birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;3(3):CD004454. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004454.pub3 Additional Reading Tikkanen M. Placental abruption: epidemiology, risk factors and consequences. Acta Obstet Gyn Scan. 2011;90:140-149. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0412.2010.01030.x