Association between placental location and occurrence of preeclampsia in pregnant women referred to Kosar Hospital in Qazvin

Preeclampsia refers to high blood pressure and protein in the urine after the 20th weeks of pregnancy. Some studies show that the location of the placenta in pregnancies can predict the occurrence of preeclampsia, preterm delivery and fetal growth restriction. The present study was performed aimed to investigate the relationship between placental site and occurrence of preeclampsia.

This cross-sectional and prospective study was performed in 2019 on 325 pregnant women with 18 to 22 weeks gestational age in Kosar Hospital in Qazvin. Questionnaire information included placenta location, gestational age, neonatal sex, fetal growth restriction, and preterm delivery. Then, the location of the placenta was determined by ultrasound and the placenta with anterior, posterior, and fundus positions was included in the central group and the right and left lateral placenta in the lateral placenta group. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and chi-square and logistic regression tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The fundal placenta compared to the anterior placenta reduced the incidence of fetal growth restriction (P=0.044). The posterior placenta compared to the anterior placenta increased the incidence of preterm labor (P=0.041). In the present study, there was no significant relationship between placental location and the occurrence of preeclampsia (P= 0.680).

Ultrasound to determine the location of the placenta in the first months of pregnancy can predict the occurrence of pregnancies prone to preterm labor and fetal growth retardation, but placental location cannot be predictive of preeclampsia.