Anterior Placenta

Having an anterior placenta means the placenta is in the front of your uterus, right behind your belly. You can think of it like a cushion between your belly and the fetus. This may make it harder to feel kicks, especially early in pregnancy.

The placenta can be located at various areas:

• A posterior placenta is at the back of your uterus, closest to your spine.
• An anterior placenta is at the front of your uterus, nearest your abdominal area.
• A low-lying placenta sits at the bottom of your uterus and may cover all or part of your cervix.
• A lateral placenta is on the left or right side of your uterus.
• A fundal placenta is at the top of your uterus.

An anterior placenta doesn’t cause any health problems for you or your baby. Anterior placentas are common and occur in up to half of all pregnancies.

Symptoms of anterior placenta

Having an anterior placenta doesn’t cause symptoms. Most of the time, it's not something to worry about. Some signs of an anterior placenta are:

• Fetal heart rate: It may take longer for your healthcare provider to detect the fetal heartbeat with a Doppler ultrasound. Your provider moves the Doppler across your belly. It can take longer to find the heartbeat because the placenta is between the fetus and the Doppler.
• Fetal movement: It can take longer to feel the fetus kick. Movements are usually noticeable around 18 weeks of pregnancy. But with an anterior placenta, you may not feel them until 20 weeks. The movements can also feel weaker or softer.

Is your belly bigger when you have an anterior placenta?

The shape or size of your belly shouldn’t change when you have an anterior placenta. The placenta is a thin organ and doesn’t affect belly shape.

Anterior placenta causes

The location of the placenta depends on where the fertilized egg implants. It’s not due to anything you did or didn’t do. Healthcare providers don’t know why a fertilized egg implants where it does. What they do know is that the location of the placenta, alone, doesn’t affect how it works. The location also doesn’t change how providers treat your pregnancy. Anterior placentas are normal and usually don’t have any impact on your pregnancy or delivery.

Complications

There are typically no complications. But there may be some differences compared to other placenta positions:

• It can take longer to feel kicks.
• It can be harder for your provider to detect a heartbeat with a Doppler ultrasound.
• It can make amniocentesis a little more challenging.

How doctors diagnose anterior placenta

Your healthcare provider will determine the location of the placenta during an ultrasound. This usually happens around 18 to 21 weeks of pregnancy.

Is there a treatment for an anterior placenta?

There’s no treatment for an anterior placenta because it doesn’t usually cause complications. Having an anterior placenta doesn’t impact the health of your pregnancy or delivery.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

You should contact your healthcare provider during pregnancy if you feel the fetus move less or you have:

• Vaginal bleeding
• Contractions
• Severe back or abdominal pain

What can I expect if I have an anterior placenta?

Having an anterior placenta usually isn't a cause for concern. It doesn’t affect how the placenta works.

The hardest part of having an anterior placenta is that you may not feel fetal movements right away. If this is your first pregnancy, it’s normal to wonder why kicks aren’t as early or as strong as you expected. Waiting to feel movement can feel a little worrying. Most people eventually forget about the placenta’s position because it doesn’t cause any problems.

Does an anterior placenta mean the baby is a girl?

There's no data that proves an anterior placenta means your baby is a girl. Your chances of having either sex are the same.