Placental insufficiency. What is it and how dangerous is it?

Many pregnant women undeservedly ignore such a serious problem as placental insufficiency. It is commonly believed that this is the whim of doctors and a way to raise revenue to pharmaceutical companies. However, this is not so. The insidiousness of this diagnosis is that the pregnant woman does not feel absolutely any discomfort, but the child inside her suffers and, probably, for the rest of her life loses her health.

Placental insufficiency in scientific circles is often pronounced with a prefix of feto- and that is why it is abbreviated as FPN. This diagnosis is an excuse for active actions, but you can not under any circumstances experience it. This is the main reason why future mothers do not tell the full severity of this ailment.

So, what is placental insufficiency, the symptoms and its treatment. As it is clear from the title - these are problems with the placenta, which do not allow it to fully exercise the exchange-nutritional and protective functions. It can happen at any time, but in the third trimester placental insufficiency is less dangerous.

The main causes of fetoplacental insufficiency are: insufficient amount of oxygen received by the mother (especially exacerbating smoking, both active and passive), unbalanced nutrition with a small number of proteins that are necessary to create all the fetal tissues, problems with the health of the mother during the formation of the placenta, infectious And fungal diseases, severe physical activity or insufficient rest, etc. Also, special cases are low hemoglobin and anemia in pregnant women, endocrine system diseases, late pregnancy (after 35 years), abortions, some chronic diseases of the pelvic organs, severe gestosis in later periods.

Actually, placental insufficiency, the symptoms of which are not completely safe and do not threaten the fetus. But it is better if active measures are taken to prevent an aggravation of the situation. Placental insufficiency itself can be acute (symptoms develop dramatically and this is the most dangerous case) and chronic (with compensated flow the child adapts to new conditions and there are no special abnormalities, with decompensated - serious problems are possible and mandatory treatment is required).

Acute placental insufficiency, the treatment of which is carried out in an emergency mode, can lead not only to a delay in the development of the fetus and related problems in the future, but also to premature aging of the placenta and childbirth or a fatal outcome for the fetus. Chronic uncompensated placental insufficiency, which is treated for 2 weeks in a steady state, also threatens to slow the development of the fetus, hypoxia. It can also cause early aging and detachment of the placenta, which in turn leads to premature birth (which even for other reasons has a significant impact on the child's health and development), etc.

Symptoms that mom can feel: an increase in the activity of the child, and then a sharp decline in it. Approximately, at the 28th week the fetus should move about 10 times a day. With decompensated insufficiency, a slight decrease in the abdomen is possible, however, the pregnant woman herself practically does not notice this, and the doctor who carries out the preventive examination fixes.

The main methods of treatment are the reception and administration of drugs that increase metabolic processes between mother and child and improve their quality, supplementing the body with essential microelements and vitamins necessary for the fetus. Apply funds to reduce the tone of the uterus, drugs that improve sleep and soothe the nervous system.

There are no precise data on the complete elimination of placental insufficiency, therefore, the treatment is aimed only at maintaining the situation and preventing exacerbation.

Be healthy and happy parents of the same children!