Investigating the influence of anatomical placental location on the complications of third stage of labor: a cross-sectional prospective study

Objective. To investigate the influence of anatomical placental location (PL) on the duration and complications of the third stage of labor (TSL). Patients and methods. In this cross-sectional prospective study, 208 pregnant women were prospectively followed and determined at the delivery time at Tertiary Health Care Hospital Jamshoro from March 2021 to March 2022. The position of the placenta within the uterus was determined during obstetric examination by ultrasonography. The largest mass was identified by placing an ultrasonography probe at the center of the uterus and examining it through a sagittal view. Based on the placental location mass, participants were categorized into three groups: group A – anterior, group P – posterior, and group F – fundal. Results. The study found that among the 208 cases, the placenta was located in the anterior uterine wall in 54.81% (n = 114), in the posterior in 36.54% (n = 76), and in the fundal in 8.65% (n = 18). The duration of TSL was recorded in minutes in the anterior (6.31 ± 2.98), posterior (6.50 ± 3.49), and fundal (7.39 ± 3.27) placental groups, with a p-value of 0.06, indicating the non-significant difference. The placenta was separated peripherally in 25% (n = 52) of the subjects in each group and centrally in 75% (n = 176). Additionally, the delta-hematocrit value was determined in the anterior group (3.01 ± 4.28), the posterior group (3.23 ± 5.23), and the fundal group (2.81 ± 3.15); p = 0.96, indicating no significant difference. Conclusion. This research exhibited that PL did not affect the dynamics of TSL. Key words: anatomical placental location, complications, third stage of labor