What happens if you have placenta still in uterus almost 4 months after birth of baby?

Answer 1

First of all, retained placental fragments would not be a called a complication if it didn't cause any harm to your body. It is a complication of labour that happens during the third stage. It can cause postpartum hemorrhage especially during the first 24 hours post delivery. It can also cause an infection. There are quite a few causes to why this occurs. This isn't something to just brush over. You can check medical books as regards to obstetrics if that would satisfy your query. It wouldn't be called a complication if it would not hurt you. I reckon it's better to be safe than sorry. You wouldn't get a D&C without a valid reason, despite it being an elective procedure.

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Don't listen to the answer below. I had retained placenta at 4 months postpartum which was supposed to clear on its own once I started the pill. I'm now 23 months postpartum and I still have pain in the 'placenta spot' (saw it on the ultrasound) and have clotting and bleeding when I do any form of exercise. I'm still alive even though I had retained placenta t 4 months postpartum. I'm going for another ultrasound to determine if scar tissue is causing the pain or something else. My doctor thinks that there may still be placenta fragments inside.

See your doctor and push to get a D&C. Don't take 'no' for an answer. I did and now that I want to have another baby, I need to go through tests to make sure that I can (and hopefully stop the pain). Good luck!

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Technically, you would be dead. The uterus will not be able to contract properly (the uterus needs to contract in order to prevent bleeding). If there are retained placental fragments, then postpartum hemorrhage will happen. If small fragments of the retained placenta was not detected immediately, it will still lead to hemorrhaging, and possibly infection.

Answer 2

This is called retained placenta. This is placenta or membranes that are left behind during the 3rd stage of delivery, which is the part where the placenta is delivered. If the placenta is not removed, the woman could possibly bleed to death. There are three main causes of retained placenta:

• uterine atony - this means that the uterus stops contracting or doesn't contract enough for the placenta to separate from the wall of the uterus

• trapped placenta - the placenta comes away from the uterus successfully but becomes trapped behind a closed cervix

• placenta accreta - an area of the placenta remains attached because it is deeply embedded into the uterus wall

The placenta could also have a hard time delivering if the woman has a full bladder. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/labourandbirth/labourcomplications/retainedplacenta/

Answer 3

then you would have been very sick with an infection for the last two years.