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Be aware that the following information describes rare complications that some readers may find disturbing. You may choose not to read all or parts of this section. |
Health concerns with a retained placenta
What causes a retained placenta?
How is a retained placenta treated?
Support after a retained placenta
A retained placenta is when the afterbirth or placenta does not readily expel from the woman's uterus (after the baby is born) into the vagina to be delivered by the woman to complete the 3rd stage of labour.
The placenta can be regarded as being retained if:
There is partial separation. The placenta can partially separate from the wall of the uterus, but still remain partly attached or adhered to the uterus. This incomplete separation can lead to heavy bleeding and possibly a postpartum haemorrhage. The detached area bleeds because the uterus is unable to contract with the placenta still retained inside. The placenta needs to be delivered quickly to prevent excessive bleeding.
The placenta does not separate. Sometimes the placenta does not separate from the wall of the uterus spontaneously either for a prolonged period of time (30 to 60 minutes or more) or until the caregiver intervenes. There is no heavy bleeding because the placenta is still fully attached. In this case it is reasonable to wait a while or take alternative measures to encourage the placenta to separate from the wall of the uterus, before intervening to manually remove it.
The cervix closes too soon. The placenta can separate from the wall of the uterus, but remain retained inside the uterus by a closed cervix. This can lead to heavy bleeding and possibly a postpartum haemorrhage if the placenta is not delivered soon afterwards.