HOUSTON, Texas. – Five years ago, Dr. Karin Fox, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine at the Texas Children Hospital, operated on Daniela Espinel, who was diagnosed by her gynecologist in Peru at 17 weeks of pregnancy with the condition of placental accreta, a phenomenon that occurs mainly in pregnant women who have had a cesarean section or experienced a curettage due to an abortion , as in the case of Daniela.
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“When we have a scar inside the womb, for example after cesarean section, it is the most common. The placenta grows into the scar and is sometimes very attached and cannot come out. If we try to pull it out with force, we can cause serious bleeding, ”said Dr. Fox. For her part, Daniela asked how high the risk was and the specialist told her that she could die.
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In Houston, she was operated on at week 32 of pregnancy. Their daughter Sofía was born without complications, but she spent eight hours in the operating room. “They had to remove my uterus. I had 40% or 50% of my bladder damaged, I also lost that part ”said Daniela.
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How do you know if you have this condition?
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In the US, according to Dr. Fox, 30% of deliveries are by cesarean section. It is important to pay attention to symptoms such as bleeding or pain more than normal when a woman becomes pregnant again.
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The condition can be detected by ultrasound. Pregnancy is considered high risk and should be treated with a specialist. “If we can relieve between 34 and 35 weeks almost a month before the date, we can minimize the risk of having a very strong hemorrhage,” said the doctor.
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“The recovery is long”
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Today, almost 5 years after the birth of Sofía, Daniela continues to be grateful to life and doctors. “The recovery is long and painful, but it comes out ahead.”
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Recent legislation passed a law that only has to be signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which requires hospitals with level 4 birthing centers to have a designated team to treat this condition.
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