experience with subchorionic hemorrage or placental abruption??

[Anonymous]

I have been diagnosed with a subchorionic hemorrhage. I bled for four weeks in the first trimester as a result of this hemorrhage. I am now at the start of the second trimester and the hemorrhage has not yet healed (according to ultrasound) even though the bleeding has subsided. I know that this puts me at elevated risk for abruption and miscarriage, stillbirth, restricted fetal growth, infection, and a whole host of other horribles. I also know that many people with the same diagnosis do fine.

My problem is that I have not been able to get meaningful information from my current OB and the MFM who consults on all patients in the OB's group. I know that the placement and size of the hemorrhage is directly related to prognosis, but my current docs have not told me whether mine is retroplacental or not, whether it is large or not. One doc quoted me a 50% chance of miscarriage, but it turns out that figure is based on all pregnancies with first trimester bleeding for any reason, and was not specific to either my particular case or to subchorionic hemorrhage cases in general. I just get the sense that they don't really have a clue and don't have the time to bother.

They have also been unwilling to commit to a plan for heightened surveillance (BPPs) in the final weeks of the pregnancy. They seem to have the attitude that I'll bleed if something bad is happening. This is frustrating to me because I understand that an abruption and consequential miscarriage will cause bleeding, but my own research indicates that a lack of bleeding does not necessarily mean that everything will be fine. Apparently the risks noted above will be elevated throughout the pregnancy, even after the bleeding has stopped.

Has anyone had any experience with subchorionic hemorrage and/or placental abruption? If so, can you recommend an OB or MFM/high risk specialist who seemed to understand this diagnosis (beyond the basics) and who took the elevated risk seriously in terms of monitoring?

[Anonymous]

I'm in a similar situation-2nd tri and the bleed is still there. I get an US every few weeks to monitor the size but other than that the docs say we just have to wait it out.....which stimulates anxiety and worry for me....ugh. When I ask about outcomes, statistics, etc i don't get much and I assume that's because there isn't anything that can be done to make it go away other than pelvic rest. The docs have said that it usually resolves without problems. Perhaps you can request more frequent US's to monitor size/location? Wishing you the best....

[Sepilove]

I'm in the same boat - still in the first tri. Have had 4 US already. It adds to the exhaustion I already feel......

[Anonymous]

I started bleeding at 6 weeks but my SCH was not discovered until 11 weeks. I actually had 2 -- 2 cm and 4 cm. By 15 weeks they had resolved completely to the point that my ultrasound tech doubted they had been there (but they had, I saw them, so did my doc, etc).

Don't worry too much OP. It could be that your doc doesn't want to plan for the end of pregnancy because he thinks they will most probably have long resolved by then.

[Anonymous]

I went through a subchorionic hemorrhage a few years ago and wanted to offer support to the above posters. I was very scared with all of the bleeding and didn't find a ton of information out there at the time. I did find a support group on yahoo at the time. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful it was to read others women's experiences with this. I have no idea if that group still exists, but it really helped me to read about others and to read as the vast majority of the women going through it with me ended up going to term and delivering healthy babies. I too had a healthy baby who is 5 years old now. I don't remember a ton of the medical details, but they did monitor me very closely with extra ultrasounds and visits. They also sent me to a high-risk specialist. I was on modified bed rest for a while, despite debate among doctors about whether it would help, and ended up having a pretty major bleed that landed me in the hospital at 34 weeks. No one at the time thought my baby would make it to term, but he stayed in there until 42 weeks and was born healthy. Good luck to all of you.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Thanks for all your responses. Would those of you who had extra ultrasounds and monitoring due to subchorionic hemorrhage be willing to share the name of the doctor(s) who ordered that extra monitoring? My biggest source of frustration right now is that my current practice won't do this. A clot separating the placenta from my uterus was still an visible at my nuchal ultrasound and they see no need for any further ultrasound until my 20 week anomoly scan and they will not commit to extra monitoring in the last month of pregnancy. If I end up with an abruption or stillbirth despite extra monitoring, I will be devastated but will know I did everything possible. If I end up with an abruption or stillbirth at my current practice, I will forever feel like I should have pushed for better care.

[Anonymous]

Sure! I go to CWC on K street. But I did get one set of US from an ER visit (I went there bc I thought I was miscarrying, even though I knew at that stage not much could be done). Also- I refuse to take no for an answer. I miscarried last year, and also want to feel like this time I did everything possible.