UK Women Report Undiagnosed Placenta Accreta Cases Prompting Emergency Surgeries and Awareness Campaign

Since the launch of a campaign in February to raise awareness among NHS staff and expectant mothers, numerous women have come forward with accounts of how PAS affected them. One woman lost so much blood during birth that she gave up her job as an NHS operating theatre nurse and now suffers from PTSD.

Another woman lost six litres of blood, and her daughter developed cerebral palsy due to a stroke during the traumatic emergency caesarean section as hospital personnel worked to save the mother's life. Others have suffered permanent damage to their bladder or bowels.

PAS occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, blocking some or all of the cervix and making separation during birth difficult.

The condition is associated with a history of C-section births, where the placenta can attach to the scar from a previous caesarean. Assisted fertility using in vitro fertilisation also increases the risk of PAS, possibly due to the embryo transfer and implantation process, though doctors note the extra risk is small.

One hundred women concerned about how medical teams handled their PAS cases have contacted Amisha and Nik Adhia, who established the Action for Accreta campaign.

Seventy-five of the 100 cases are from around the UK, with the others from abroad. Six out of 10 of the 100 women reported their PAS went undiagnosed, and the dossier shows 61% of cases were undiagnosed, heightening risks such as bleeding to death.

Politicians from all main parties at Westminster support the campaign's call for a major overhaul in how the NHS manages PAS. There is no central data, no mandatory reporting, and no national body responsible for PAS in the UK's NHS. Amisha Adhia launched the campaign after five hospitals failed to spot her own PAS.