placental calcification??

[AmandaJean1]

My doctor said my placenta has started calcification. I don't really understand what this means. I've read it happens to smokers and older women over 35 years old. I'm a non-smoker, and only 20 (?)
Could someone explain to me what this means exactly? My placenta is turning to stone or what lol I'm 40 weeks and one day.
Could this be harmful to my baby??

[aa88]

And i was 19   also non smoker

[aa88]

This happened to me with first baby. I had to be induced. My doc said baby wasnt thriving anymore. It sucked but id rather be induced long labor than an emergency c section!

[AmandaJean1]

I had an ultrasound yesterday and that's when my doctor told me. She said to come in Wednesday again and we will take another look at your placenta.
You know I think you're rigt because she told me if it is starting to clarifying, we're going to induce you on Friday! Granted I'm not even dilated and have had no contractions. But doc tells me the baby is healthy. Im also scared to be induced ;(

[GeekMom1213]

I have seen doctors stating this more and more often lately. When was your last ultrasound? Did your doc examine it or just read the report from the tech? Sure, calcification can and does happen but what matters is the extent to which it can still deliver nutrients to the baby. At your age and since you're a non smoker it is very unlikely that the process has advanced far enough to cause any issues. Doctors will tell you that to convince you to induce because you're overdue even if just barely. There's no good reason for induction before 42 weeks unless your doctor can show you specifically where those pockets of calcification are and how your placenta looks different from others of the same age. Don't let them scare you into an unnecessary induction - pitocin makes contractions much more painful, which leads to pain medications that drop baby's heart rate, which leads to a c-section, which has a much longer and more painful recovery than vaginal childbirth.

[mrsonens]

"Placenta calcification refers to calcium deposits that appear on the placenta. These calcium deposits indicate an “aging” of the placenta that occurs near the end of pregnancy. These deposits of calcium can cause certain small parts of the placenta to die. The calcium deposits may also cause some parts of the placenta to be replaced with fibrous tissue. The calcium deposits can also obstruct parts of the placenta with clots of maternal blood. They can also harden or block the maternal blood vessels. In most cases, placental calcification does not affect the functioning of the placenta, and the fetus is generally not harmed.

When calcification is found early on in the pregnancy, it can be an indication that the placenta is aging faster than it should. If this occurs, your health care provider will likely wish to monitor your baby at regular intervals to make sure that your baby is receiving the nutritional content that he needs, and that his nutritional intake is not obstructed by the calcium deposits. Your health care provider will, specifically, be measuring the growth of your baby."