Abnormal placenta size is a risk factor for stillbirth and
other poor pregnancy outcomes.
Measure, Identify, Prevent.
The placenta is part of the baby.
Like roots of a tree, it supplies baby’s critical needs.
Standard prenatal ultrasounds typically measure the baby, internal organs and placenta location -
but not placenta size.
A small placenta is a risk factor for stillbirth.
Like a car with no gas gauge, a loss can occur without warning.
There is not always reduced movement or warning signs. A fetus can outgrow its placenta. These losses can be sudden, unexpected and too often go unexplained.
Half of stillbirths result from conditions affecting the placenta.
Based on current stillbirth rates, measuring the placenta could potentially prevent thousands of stillbirths each year in the United States.
This baby’s placenta dropped below the 10th percentile by 32 weeks gestation.
Tragically, the placenta was not measured during pregnancy. Standard biophysical profiles showed a healthy pregnancy. The child was stillborn at full term.
This chart was created retroactively with ultrasounds on file. It likely would have indicated induction - and saved a life.
This experience is too common.
Poor birth outcomes are associated with increasingly smaller placentas.
Many families have shared with us just how small their babies’ placentas were.
Case study concludes Estimated Placental Volume (EPV) prevented a stillbirth
Authors say EPV should be used to help inform the need for increased surveillance and potentially early delivery.
(Image: A. Placental ultrasound, B. EPV calculations, C. amniotic fluid measurements, and D. NST at 32 weeks, 1 day gestation)
Density plot of pregnancy loss pathologies from 6 to 43 weeks of gestation
Yale research shows a small placenta is the number one cause of preventable unexplained stillbirth
Placental examination was able to determine 90% of previously unexplained pregnancy losses. A small placenta (less than 10th%ile) was shown to be the most common pathologic feature observed in unexplained stillbirths. This research further exposes the need for closer placental monitoring during pregnancy.
Estimated Placental Volume featured in Romper article
If This Pregnancy Screening Could Prevent 30% Of Stillbirths, Why Is No One Using It?
by Katie McPherson
“It’s so simple. It takes 30 seconds. The placenta is the life-sustaining organ of the fetus. To not look at it is unacceptable”
EPV: A Simple Way to Prevent Stillbirth
Dr. Ann O'Neill shares her personal story of the loss of her fourth son on his due date, after which Dr. Harvey Kliman talks about how Estimated Placental Volume (EPV) could have saved Ann's son's life. This presentation was part of the Placental Consortium Webinar Series through Australia's University of Queensland Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence presented on November 15, 2023.
A Life Saved.
One mother’s story of the measurement that made all the difference - the reason her son Ravi was born alive.
“We were so fortunate… measuring the placental volume was the key part of saving his life.”
