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Contributor: Peter Bakes, MD Educational Pearls: High concern causes of third trimester vaginal bleeding include placenta previa, placental abruption, or vasa previa In placenta previa, the placenta implants over the cervix and this condition Often noted during routine prenatal care on transabdominal ultrasound Patients present with painful vaginal bleeding, usually in the absence of trauma Avoid pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, or digital vaginal exam in placenta previa Risk factors for placenta previa include multiple gestations, previous medical abortions, advanced maternal age, and previous placenta previa Management usually includes admission to the hospital >37 weeks: admission for c-section 34-37 weeks: judgment call based on maternal/fetal stability <34 weeks: steroids for fetal lung maturation and delay delivery References Anderson-Bagga FM, Sze A. Placenta Previa. [Updated 2021 Jun 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539818/ Young JS, White LM. Vaginal Bleeding in Late Pregnancy. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019;37(2):251-264. doi:10.1016/j.emc.2019.01.006 Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD *Image from BruceBlaus via Wikimedia Commons licensed under Creative Commons license The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering AMA PRA Category 1 credits™ via online course modules. To access these and for more information, visit our website at https://emergencymedicalminute.org/cme-courses/ and create an account. Donate to EMM today!