Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your health care provider suspects placental abruption, he or she will do a physical exam to check for uterine tenderness or rigidity. To help identify possible sources of vaginal bleeding, you might need blood tests or an ultrasound.
During an ultrasound, high-frequency sound waves are used to create an image of your uterus on a monitor. It's not always possible to see a placental abruption on an ultrasound, however.
- Ananth CV, et al. Clinical features and diagnosis of placental abruption. http://www.uptodate.com/index.html. Accessed Oct. 13, 2011.
- Oyelese Y, et al. Management and outcome of pregnancies complicated by placental abruption. http://www.uptodate.com/index.html. Accessed Oct. 13, 2011.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Your Pregnancy and Childbirth Month to Month. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; 2010:373.
- Obstetrical hemorrhage. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York, N.Y.; The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=46. Accessed Oct. 14, 2011.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 22, 2011.

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