The treatment you get for placenta previa depends on a number of things, such as:
- Your health and your baby’s health
- How far along you are in your pregnancy
- How much you’re bleeding
- Whether the bleeding has stopped
- The position of your baby and the placenta
Bed rest may be the only treatment your doctor recommends if your bleeding is slight or very light. You’ll have to avoid exercise, sex, and pelvic exams. All of these can cause you to bleed.
If you’re bleeding a lot, your doctor might have you stay on bed rest in the hospital until you have your baby. You may need a blood transfusion.
Your doctor could give you medicine to prevent premature labor. He may also give you corticosteroid shots to help your baby’s lungs develop faster. Once he feels the baby can be safely delivered (by about 36 weeks of pregnancy), he’ll schedule a C-section.
If your bleeding won’t stop, you’ll need an emergency C-section -- even if your baby is not full term.