There’s no easy way to tell a pregnant woman there’s something wrong with her placenta – the temporary organ that develops to connect the fetus to the uterus.
While rare, a condition called placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) can occur in women with certain risk factors and often requires an early cesarean delivery and hysterectomy. Untreated, the condition can result in hemorrhaging, a leading cause of maternal death worldwide.
“Patients who are facing this diagnosis can be very anxious and overwhelmed,” said Lauren Sayres, MD, assistant professor of OB-GYN-Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. It’s why women with PAS receive “whole person care” from a multidisciplinary team at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, including specialized surgeons and mental health professionals.
In this Q&A, Sayres shares how placenta accreta spectrum is treated clinically and what her team has learned by tracking cases over the last 15 years.