Anterior Placenta: What It Means and What It Changes

What does anterior placenta mean?

An anterior placenta is attached to the front wall of your womb (uterus), the side nearest your tummy. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby service describes it as a placenta that "grows on the front side of your uterus".

It is a normal place for a placenta to be. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby lists the top, the sides, the front and the back of the womb as normal attachment sites, and says the exact location varies from person to person and in each pregnancy. It is common, too: in a 2026 US study of 996 first caesareans, 501 women had an anterior placenta.

In England, the NHS says the position of your placenta will be recorded at your 20-week screening scan, so that is the point to ask which you have.

Placenta positions explained: anterior, posterior, fundal, lateral and low-lying

Each term describes where on the wall of the womb the placenta is attached. Of these, low-lying is the one that leads to an extra scan in NHS care.

The NHS explains that the area where the placenta is attached usually stretches upwards as the womb grows, and that in 9 out of 10 pregnancies the placenta will have moved into the upper part of the womb by the follow-up scan. Placenta praevia at the end of pregnancy affects about 1 in every 200 births. Our pages on placenta praevia and low-lying placenta and low-lying placenta follow-up scans cover this in detail.

Anterior vs posterior placenta: feeling your baby move

The UK's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) says that if your placenta is at the front of your womb, "it may not be so easy for you to feel your baby's movements". Pregnancy, Birth and Baby puts timings on it: with an anterior placenta, movement tends to be felt at around 20 weeks and may not feel as strong; with a posterior placenta, movements are often felt earlier and may feel stronger.

A 2019 systematic review of 27 studies found that women who came to hospital with reduced fetal movements were more likely to have an anterior placenta. An anterior placenta can make movements harder to feel, but it does not make a drop in your baby's usual movements something to wait out.

The RCOG's advice applies whatever your placenta position:

• If you have never felt your baby move by 24 weeks, contact your midwife or maternity unit, who will check your baby's heartbeat.
• If your baby is moving less than usual, or the pattern has changed, contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately. "Never go to sleep ignoring a reduction or change in your baby's movements."
• "Do not rely on any home kits you may have for listening to your baby's heartbeat."

See when you feel the baby move for full timings and reduced fetal movements for what happens when you call.

Does an anterior placenta affect a caesarean?

On its own, it does not appear to. It matters when the placenta is also low, and most of all after a previous caesarean.

Anterior on its own. An anterior placenta is sometimes cut through when the womb is opened, so the 2026 US study above checked whether it means more bleeding. Among 996 first caesareans, excluding placenta praevia and other known risk factors, an anterior placenta alone was not linked to blood loss of 1,000ml or more.

Anterior and low. The RCOG's 2026 guideline on placenta praevia and placenta accreta spectrum states that women with an anterior placenta, whatever the type of placenta praevia, are at increased risk of blood loss during a caesarean and of needing a blood transfusion. It adds that with an anterior placenta praevia, cutting through the placenta may be necessary for the baby to be born.

After a previous caesarean. The same guideline identifies a previous caesarean together with an anterior low-lying placenta or placenta praevia as high risk for placenta accreta spectrum, in which the placenta is abnormally attached to the wall of the womb and cannot be separated after birth. It recommends that women in this group are identified at the first antenatal appointment and given a care plan that includes checking for ultrasound signs of accreta at the 18+0 to 20+6 week anomaly scan. Our page on placenta accreta explains what follows.

If that describes you, it is reasonable to ask whether the check is in your plan. See also what happens at a planned caesarean.

Does an anterior placenta affect turning a breech baby?

It may make it less likely to work. External cephalic version (ECV) is when a baby lying bottom first is turned by hand through the tummy. In a US study of 1,138 ECV attempts, 40.6% succeeded, and placental location was one of the factors linked with the result; in the final prediction model, an anterior placenta lowered the predicted chance of success.

It sat alongside body mass index, previous births and how the baby is lying, so it shifts the odds rather than deciding them. Our page on breech birth and ECV explains the procedure.

Does an anterior placenta change your bump or predict the sex?

A PubMed search in October 2026 found no study linking placenta position to the shape or size of the bump. Nor is it a reliable sign of your baby's sex; see our Ramzi theory page.

When to call your midwife

• You have not felt your baby move by 24 weeks (RCOG).
• Your baby is moving less than usual, or the pattern of movements has changed. The RCOG says to call immediately and, after 28 weeks, not to wait until the next day.
• You have a low-lying placenta and notice bleeding from the vagina. The NHS says a low-lying placenta can be associated with painless, bright red bleeding in the last 3 months of pregnancy, and to contact your midwife or GP immediately if it happens.
• The NHS warns that this bleeding can be very heavy and put you and your baby at risk. If bleeding is heavy or you feel faint, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK and Ireland, 911 in the US and Canada, 000 in Australia, or 111 in New Zealand).

Frequently asked questions

Is an anterior placenta a risk?

Not on its own. It is a normal position, and a 2026 study of 996 first caesareans found an anterior placenta alone was not linked to heavier bleeding. It matters more when it is also low-lying, especially after a previous caesarean, when the RCOG advises checking for placenta accreta at the anomaly scan.

When will I feel my baby move with an anterior placenta?

Often a little later and more softly. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says movement tends to be felt at around 20 weeks with an anterior placenta and may not feel as strong. The RCOG says to contact your midwife if you have felt nothing by 24 weeks, whatever your placenta position.

Does an anterior placenta mean a boy or a girl?

No reliable link has been shown. Placenta position is recorded for medical reasons, such as checking whether it is low-lying, not to predict sex. Our Ramzi theory page covers the one small study that compared front and back placentas, and why it is not a dependable sign.

Can you see an anterior placenta on an ultrasound?

Yes. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says the position of the placenta is checked by ultrasound early in the first and second trimesters, and in England the NHS records it at the 20-week screening scan. Ask what yours showed, including whether it is low-lying, because that is what changes your care.