[Relationship between placenta previa and maternal age, parity and prior caesarean deliveries]

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of placenta previa and to asses the relationship between the incidence of placenta previa and maternal age, parity, prior abortion and cesarean deliveries.

The records of all patients with the diagnosis of placenta previa during the period between 1992 and 2002 at Hospital in Chojnice were reviewed. To determine the relationship between the incidence of placenta previa and maternal age, parity, prior abortion and cesarean deliveries the statistical analyses were carried out. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

From a total 11,091 deliveries 24 (0.2%) women had placenta previa. The occurrence of placenta previa increased with maternal age and was the highest in women aged 35 or older--0.8% of all deliveries and the lowest in women aged <25 years--0.07%. The incidence of placenta previa in women with previous deliveries was significantly higher compared to the group of primiparas and increased as the number of prior deliveries increased. The association between previous abortion and cesarean section and placenta previa was not confirmed.

Advancing maternal age and multiparity appears to increase the occurrence of placenta previa. In this study the relationship between previous abortion and cesarean section was not confirmed.