Does your anomaly scan say you have anterior placenta? Here's what you need to know

Is having an anterior placenta a good thing when your scan says so?

During your anomaly scan which happens around the 20th week, your sonologist might tell you about the positioning of the placenta. The placenta is usually found in one of four positions. Now, if your sonography report reads anterior placenta, you might be wondering what it means. Well, to be precise anterior placenta means the placenta is growing at the anterior end or front of the uterus.

What does it indicate? The placenta develops where the fertilised egg embeds or gets attached to the uterus. So anterior placenta means the egg after its fertilisation and travelling through the fallopian tube got attached at the front part of the uterus.

Is having anterior placenta normal? The position of the placenta is normal and doesn t pose any risk to your developing baby or your health. However, having an anterior placenta might mean you might not feel your baby's movements as much because the placenta acts as a cushion. It could also be little difficult to detect a foetal heartbeat.

Does the position of the placenta change? Sometimes the placenta does change its position and shifts to the posterior side on its own during the later stages of the pregnancy.

When should you worry? If you have an anterior placenta till your labour and it is low lying this might pose a challenge for your doctor to find the right spot for an incision if you have a C-section. The doctor might need to cut higher up in your abdomen to avoid internal bleeding. Also, if you had a c-section before, the placenta may grow on the site of the scar and into the wall of the uterus. Although this is a rare condition. However, ultrasounds can help judge the condition better and help your doctor to take the correct decision for incision during labour if need a C-section.

Image source: Shutterstock (Image for representational purpose only)

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