What happens in vasa previa?
In vasa previa, membranes that contain blood vessels connecting the umbilical cord and placenta lie across or near the opening of the cervix—the entrance to the birth canal. Vasa previa may cause massive bleeding in the fetus and mother when the membranes around the fetus rupture, usually just before labor starts.
What is meant by vasa previa?
What is vasa previa? Vasa previa is a rare pregnancy complication that can lead to severe blood loss for your fetus if it’s not carefully managed. With vasa previa, unprotected blood vessels from the umbilical cord travel across the opening of your cervix (or cervical os).
What are the types of vasa previa?
Vasa previa has been classified into two types: Type 1, in which vessels connect a velamentous umbilical cord to the placenta, and Type 2, in which vessels connect the lobes of a bilobed placenta or the placenta to a succenturiate lobe.
What is the pathophysiology of vasa previa?
The 2 main causes of vasa previa are velamentous insertions (where the cord inserts directly into the membranes, leaving unprotected vessels running to the placenta) (25–62%) and vessels crossing between lobes of the placenta such as in succenturiate or bilobate placentas (33–75%) (36, 56).
Who is at risk for vasa previa?
Causes and risk factors
In these cases, the vessels may be unprotected where they cross between the two lobes. A greater risk of vasa previa tends to be more common if the: placenta is low-lying (placenta previa) pregnancy occurred through in vitro fertilization (IVF)
Does vasa previa require bed rest?
The management of vasa previa aims to allow the pregnancy to progress for as long as possible. Some cases may require hospitalization for close monitoring and bed rest. Cesarean delivery between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy may also be recommended.
What are the risk factors of vasa previa?
The prevalence and 95% confidence intervals of known risk factors for vasa previa included a low-lying placenta (61.5%, 53.0%e70. 0%), velamentous cord insertion (52.2%, 39.6%e64. 7%), bilobed or succenturiate lobed placenta (33.3%, 20.9%e45. 7%), use of in vitro fertilization (26.4%, 16.0%e36.
What are signs of vasa previa?
The classic presentation of vasa previa is painless vaginal bleeding, rupture of membranes, and fetal bradycardia.
How do you manage vasa previa?
Management of prenatally diagnosed vasa previa includes antenatal corticosteroids between 28–32 weeks of gestation, considerations for preterm hospitalization at 30–34 weeks of gestation, and scheduled delivery at 34–37 weeks of gestation.
What are the clinical features of vasa previa?
Symptoms and Signs of Vasa Previa
The classic presentation of vasa previa is painless vaginal bleeding, rupture of membranes, and fetal bradycardia.
How serious is vasa previa?
Vasa previa is very rare. It only occurs in about 1 in 2500 pregnancies. If it’s diagnosed before labor, monitored, and you have a C-section, there’s a 97% chance that your baby will be fine. Most babies who are born vaginally to mothers with vasa previa will die, which is why delivery by C-section is so important.
Can you travel with vasa previa?
Vasa previa is a pregnancy complication in which blood vessels from the umbilical cord lie over the cervix, an area that the baby passes through during delivery. These ves- sels may travel through the membranes (or amniotic sac) around the baby rather than going directly into the pla- centa.
Can you exercise with vasa previa?
The potential risks of vasa previa to fetal health dras- tically outweigh any benefits of MVPA, and therefore women should be prevented from engaging with prenatal exercise.
When are you hospitalized for vasa previa?
Under normal circumstances, this is done every 2 weeks from 24 weeks, and weekly from 32 weeks of gestation. Admission: We offer antenatal admission to all patients with Vasa Previa at 26 weeks and recommend hospitalization at 30-32 weeks, even in the absence of other obstetric risk factors.
Does bed rest help vasa previa?
Is vasa previa high risk?
With recognition before delivery and close surveillance, survival rates for pregnancies with known vasa previa are generally high.