Placental Abruption Quiz
Check your symptoms and
find possible causes with AI for free
Worried about your symptoms?
Start the Placental Abruption test with our free AI Symptom Checker.
This will help us personalize your assessment.
By starting the symptom checker, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Have irregular vaginal bleeding
Stomachache
Tummy/abdominal pain comes in waves of 10 minutes or less
Blood pressure is high
Uterine contractions are coming very frequently
Tachycardia
Stomach continues to be hard
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Placental Abruption?
This is a condition during pregnancy where the placenta separates from the uterus before the fetus is born. Since the placenta is rich in blood supply and provides oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, separation can result in significant vaginal bleeding and cut off oxygen supply to the fetus, endangering both mother and child. Common causes include abdominal trauma in pregnancy such as being in a motor vehicle accident or falling on your abdomen. Other causes are also possible. Symptoms typically include vaginal bleeding and abdominal or pelvic pain similar to contractions. Any such concerns in pregnancy should seek emergency care.
Typical Symptoms of Placental Abruption
- Stomach or abdominal pain accompanied by a hard abdomen
- Feel my child is moving less. (Decreased fetal movements)
- Currently pregnant
- Vaginal bleeding or discolored discharge outside of your period
- Stomach or abdominal pain
- Fast heartbeat (more than 100 beats a minute)
- Feel like water has broken/amniotic fluid is coming out
- Labor-like pain (repeated tummy/abdominal pain) in cycles of 10 minutes or less
Diagnostic Questions for Placental Abruption
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Are you experiencing stomach or abdominal pain with a hard abdomen?
- Is your child moving less?
- Are you pregnant?
- Have you experienced any vaginal bleeding or unusual discharge outside of your period?
- Do you have any stomach or abdominal pain?
Treatment of Placental Abruption
This requires emergency medical care. There is no treatment to reattach the placenta, but occasionally the abruption may stabilize and allow for continuation of the pregnancy. Depending on the amount of bleeding, The gynecologist/obstetrician may suggest delivering your child early, either through a normal vaginal delivery or a Cesarean section.
Reviewed By:
Ravi P. Chokshi, MD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN), Critical Care)
Current Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow with Dual board certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Critical Care Medicine. | 5+ years experience managing a general Ob/Gyn practice and working in the Intensive Care Unit. | Previously Physician Lead of a large single specialty practice with 8 Physicians and 10+ Advanced practitioners. | Member of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Patient education committee. | Frequent Medscape Consult contributor.
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN))
Dr. Kanazawa graduated from the Niigata University Faculty of Medicine and received his Ph.D. from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. He is working on the front line of the General Perinatal Center, including the Tokyo Tama General Medical Center and the National Center for Research in Fertility Medicine, where he provides maternal and fetal care and undertakes clinical research. At Ubie, Dr. Kanazawa has been designing the Ubie AI Symptom Checker and has taken on the role of general obstetrics and gynecology consultation at FMC Tokyo Clinic by providing fetal ultrasound and prenatal consultation.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
Was this page helpful?
Tell your friends about us.
We would love to help them too.
Think you might have
Placental Abruption?
Try a symptom check testHow Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Placental Abruption quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- My baby isn't moving as much
- Bleeding between periods
- I feel like my baby has stopped moving
- Bloody vaginal discharge
- I have lower abdominal pain
- Bleeding after menopause
- I have left lower abdominal pain
- Implantation bleeding
- Pain in the lower right stomach
- Brown spotting between periods
- Bleeding after period ends
- Upper left abdominal pain
- Bleeding 2 weeks after period
- Upper right abdominal pain
- Have periodic abdominal pain
See full list
Symptoms Related to Placental Abruption
Diseases Related to Placental Abruption
FAQs
Q.
Scared of Bleeding? Why Your Placenta is Low-Lying & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
Low-lying placenta or placenta previa can cause sudden, often painless vaginal bleeding after 20 weeks because the placenta sits near or over the cervix, though many cases found at the mid-pregnancy scan move upward by the third trimester. There are several factors to consider; medically approved next steps often include pelvic rest, activity adjustments, close ultrasound monitoring, and planning a C-section if the cervix remains covered, and any bleeding should be treated as an emergency. For timing, risks, and individualized decisions that can change your plan, see the complete guidance below.
References:
* Jauniaux E, Chantraine F. Placenta Previa: A Comprehensive Review. Semin Perinatol. 2016 Nov;40(6):357-363. doi: 10.1053/j.semperi.2016.09.006. Epub 2016 Sep 27. PMID: 27856230.
* Fan D, Xia Q, Liu L, Wu S, Li X, Liang Z, Chen X, Ao H. Risk Factors for Placenta Previa in the 21st Century: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2017 Apr;30(8):875-880. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2016.1189311. Epub 2016 Jun 1. PMID: 27230588.
* Cresswell JA, Ronsmans C, Calvert C, Filippi V. Placenta Previa: Pathophysiology and Complications. Semin Perinatol. 2016 Nov;40(6):350-356. doi: 10.1053/j.semperi.2016.09.004. Epub 2016 Sep 20. PMID: 27856228.
* Zhang J, Ma Z, Chen P, Li S. Diagnosis of Placenta Previa by Transvaginal Ultrasound: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Feb;55(2):161-169. doi: 10.1002/uog.20842. Epub 2019 Aug 12. PMID: 31338782.
* Vahanian SA, Smulian JC, Ananth CV. Expectant management of placenta previa. Clin Perinatol. 2017 Sep;44(3):477-488. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2017.06.002. PMID: 28838507.
Q.
Is your placenta healthy? Why it impacts baby and medical next steps.
A.
Placenta health matters because it is your baby’s lifeline for oxygen, nutrients, waste removal, and hormones; when function is reduced by issues like previa, abruption, accreta, or placental insufficiency, risks include bleeding, pain, slowed growth, preterm birth, and rarely stillbirth. There are several factors to consider and your next steps may range from closer monitoring and Doppler or NST testing to hospital care, medications such as steroids, or early delivery; seek urgent care for bleeding, severe pain, or decreased movement, and see below for the full list of warning signs, tests, risk factors, and decision points.
References:
* Burton GJ, Jauniaux E. Placental origins of fetal growth restriction: searching for the perfect compromise. J Anat. 2018 Jan;232(1):32-48. doi: 10.1111/joa.12711. Epub 2017 Aug 10. PMID: 28656686; PMCID: PMC5735165.
* Roberts JM, Redman CW. Preeclampsia: more than a pregnancy disorder. Lancet. 2021 Apr 17;397(10283):1483-1491. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00302-4. PMID: 33866997.
* Ernst LM, Perneger TV, Landi-Chablais A, Bernard L, Lecomte D, Wyler M. Placental lesions in stillbirths and their associations with maternal and fetal characteristics: A systematic review. Placenta. 2022 Mar;119:10-21. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2021.12.016. Epub 2022 Feb 7. PMID: 35149303.
* Redline RW, Boyd T, Campbell D, Kaplan C, Khong TY, Papaioannou S, Sander CM, Sebire NJ, Timmons BC, Waters BL. The Placental Lesion Classification System (PLAC): a consensus-based approach. Placenta. 2023 Apr;134:110-116. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2023.02.001. Epub 2023 Feb 15. PMID: 36796349.
* Stirrat MJ, Reekie BL, Bocking AD, Smith GN, Walker M, Bainbridge SA. Placental Function and the Development of Maternal and Fetal Disease. Physiol Rev. 2024 Jan 1;104(1):21-120. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00004.2022. Epub 2023 Jun 26. PMID: 37367353.
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
Ubie is recognized by healthcare and tech leaders
“World’s Best Digital
Health Companies”
Newsweek 2024
“Best With AI”
Google Play Best of 2023
“Best in Class”
Digital Health Awards 2023 (Quarterfinalist)
Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Tikkanen M. Placental abruption: epidemiology, risk factors and consequences. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2011 Feb;90(2):140-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0412.2010.01030.x. Epub 2010 Dec 7. PMID: 21241259.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0412.2010.01030.xOyelese Y, Ananth CV. Placental abruption. Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Oct;108(4):1005-16. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000239439.04364.9a. PMID: 17012465.
https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/2006/10000/Placental_Abruption.26.aspxACOG Patient FAQ
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/bleeding-during-pregnancyNIH Stat Pearls
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482335/