ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to examine the maternal and newborn outcomes of pregnant women with placenta previa who gave birth at 36, 37, or 38 weeks. Material and Methods: We retrospectively examined the Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic of Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between January 2015 and June 2024. We evaluated the patient's demographic and clinical data and compared their perinatal outcomes. Results: The study included 431 women with placenta previa and divided into three delivery timing groups: 36 weeks (n=127), 37 weeks (n=201), and 38 weeks (n=103). The median age of the patients was 36 years, the median number of pregnancies was 3, and the parity was 1. Preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels were 11.7±1.44 g/dL and 11.03±1.56 g/dL, respectively. Emergency hemorrhage necessitated cesarean delivery in 11.8% of cases. Spinal anesthesia was used in 52% of patients, while general anesthesia was used in 48%. The mean duration of surgery was 59.6 minutes, and 16.9% of patients received blood transfusions. The mean maternal hospital stay was 2 days, and 17.9% of neonates were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). No significant differences in maternal outcomes were found between time-of-birth groups. However, birth weights (p<0.001) and NICU admissions were significantly different between groups (p<0.001). When patients requiring blood transfusion were evaluated according to their gestational weeks, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of preoperative hemoglobin, postoperative hemoglobin, and red blood cell transfusion requirements (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study has shown that delivery can be safely delayed until the 38th week of pregnancy in placenta previa patients, except in significant vaginal bleeding.