The placenta can attach anywhere inside the womb, and your scan report says where: on the front wall (anterior), the back wall (posterior), the top (fundal) or a side (lateral). Each of these is normal. What matters is whether it sits low, close to or over the cervix, which the RCOG asks to be checked at the 20-week anomaly scan.
This page explains every position a report can name, what an anterior placenta changes, how often a low-lying placenta moves up and what happens if it does not, and what placental grades 0 to III mean when a report still lists them.
The short answer: an anterior, posterior, fundal or lateral placenta is a normal position. An anterior placenta can make kicks feel softer. A low-lying placenta (edge less than 20 mm from the cervix) or placenta praevia (covering it) leads to a follow-up scan at 32 weeks; the RCOG says over 90% of low-lying placentas seen mid-pregnancy are no longer low by 37 weeks. Painless bleeding in the second half of pregnancy needs a call the same day.
Placenta positions on your scan report
The position is described in relation to the walls of the womb and, from 16 weeks, in relation to the internal os: the opening of the cervix on the inside of the womb.
| Report says | Where it is | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior | Front wall, between the baby and your tummy | Normal. Kicks may feel softer or a little later |
| Posterior | Back wall, towards your spine | Normal |
| Fundal | Top of the womb | Normal |
| Lateral (left or right) | One side wall | Normal |
| Low-lying | Edge less than 20 mm from the internal os, not covering it | Follow-up scan at 32 weeks; most move up |
| Placenta praevia | Partly or completely covering the internal os | Follow-up scans at 32 and 36 weeks; birth is planned with you |
Reports often combine the two, for example "posterior, fundal" or "anterior, clear of the os". "Clear of the os", "upper segment" or "not low" all mean the placenta is well away from the cervix. If the scan was done through your tummy and the placenta looks low, a scan through the vagina is often added, because it measures the distance from the os more accurately; the RCOG notes it reclassifies up to 60% of placentas that looked low on the abdominal scan.
Anterior placenta
An anterior placenta is attached to the front wall of the womb. Tommy's, the UK pregnancy charity, describes it as a normal position that is unlikely to cause complications. Because it sits between the baby and your tummy, it can cushion kicks, so movements may be harder to feel or start towards the later end of the usual 16 to 24 weeks. It does not change how much the baby actually moves.
That cushioning has one practical consequence. A 2026 case-control study of 850 women who came in with reduced movements found an anterior placenta was slightly more common among them, which fits with movements being harder to notice. It does not make a change in movements less important: if your baby is moving less, call your maternity unit straight away, whatever your placenta's position. Tommy's also notes an anterior placenta makes a back-to-back position, with the baby's spine against yours, a little more likely, which can mean more backache in labour.
Tommy's notes that an anterior placenta can make some checks a little harder, and scan views can take longer to get. At a caesarean, the RCOG notes that an anterior placenta adds to blood loss when there is also a placenta praevia. Without a praevia, a 2026 study of 996 first caesareans found an anterior placenta alone did not increase heavy blood loss.
Posterior, fundal and lateral placentas
A posterior placenta, on the back wall, leaves nothing between the baby and your tummy to cushion the kicks. It has one other small advantage: in a review of 37 studies, women with a posterior placenta were more likely to have a successful external cephalic version, the procedure to turn a breech baby. Fundal and lateral placentas are normal positions too and need no follow-up unless they also reach low in the womb.
Low-lying placenta and placenta praevia
After 16 weeks, the RCOG's 2026 guideline calls a placenta low-lying when its edge is less than 20 mm from the internal os, and placenta praevia when it partly or completely covers the os. The NHS uses "low-lying" for less than 2 cm from the cervix. The 20-week anomaly scan records where the placenta is.
Most low placentas do not stay low. As the lower part of the womb stretches in the third trimester, the placenta is carried upwards. The RCOG says more than 90% of placentas reported as low-lying on the mid-pregnancy abdominal scan are no longer low before 37 weeks, and the NHS puts it as 9 in 10 by the follow-up scan. It is less likely to move if you have had a caesarean before. Placenta praevia at the end of pregnancy affects about 1 in 200 births, according to the NHS.
The follow-up scans
- 32 weeks: a follow-up scan, through the vagina if needed, if the placenta was low-lying or praevia at the anomaly scan.
- 36 weeks: another scan if it is still low, to plan the birth.
A transvaginal scan is safe with a low placenta: the probe stays in the vagina, well away from it. If the placenta is still low or covering the cervix at the end of pregnancy, the RCOG recommends a planned birth by 37+6 weeks if there have been no problems, and the NHS says a caesarean is recommended when the placenta is close to or covering the cervix. You may be advised to avoid penetrative sex while the placenta is low, because it can trigger bleeding.
Bleeding with a low placenta
The typical warning sign of placenta praevia is painless, bright red bleeding in the second half of pregnancy, sometimes after sex. In the RCOG's 2026 review, about half of women with praevia had some bleeding before the birth. Any bleeding, contractions or pain with a known low placenta means going to hospital straight away, which is why women with a low placenta are given a plan and the numbers to call.
Previous caesarean and a low placenta
The position matters most if you have had a caesarean before. A placenta that is low and on the front wall can grow into the scar, a condition called placenta accreta spectrum. The RCOG asks units to identify women with a previous caesarean and a low-lying or praevia placenta, especially an anterior one, at the first visit and to look for signs of accreta at the anomaly scan. In women with a placenta praevia, the risk of accreta rises with each previous caesarean: 3% after one, 11% after two and 40% after three. If this applies to you, your care will be planned with a specialist team.
Placental maturity grade 0 to III
Some reports still list a grade of placental maturity, from 0 to III; the standard scan report form in Russia, for example, has a line for it. The grading was introduced by Grannum and colleagues in 1979 and describes how the placenta looks on ultrasound:
- Grade 0: an even texture with a smooth surface.
- Grade I: scattered bright spots and slight dips in the surface.
- Grade II: bright spots towards the base and deeper, comma-shaped dips.
- Grade III: dips that reach the base, dividing it into sections, with heavy calcification.
The bright spots are calcium deposits, which build up as pregnancy goes on. The grade was once thought to show whether the baby's lungs were mature; a Cochrane review notes that later studies did not confirm it, and the grading has largely fallen out of use. ISUOG's 2024 guideline on third-trimester scans lists where the placenta is, not its grade.
A grade III placenta well before term is the one finding that sometimes leads to more checks. A 2025 meta-analysis of nine studies linked early calcification with small babies and pre-eclampsia, but the authors warned that grading varies between sonographers and the evidence is not strong enough to act on by itself. In practice, if your report mentions an early grade III, expect the growth, fluid and blood flow to be checked; those measurements, not the grade, decide what happens next.
Can the placenta's position predict the sex?
No. The claim that the side of the placenta at 6 weeks predicts the sex, known as Ramzi's method, comes from a 2011 article that was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the editors have since noted it has not been confirmed. The small studies on anterior placentas and girls contradict one another, and no guideline uses the placenta to predict sex. Our guide to when you can find out the sex covers the methods that work.
When to call your doctor or midwife the same day
Contact your maternity unit straight away, even at night, if: you have any vaginal bleeding in the second half of pregnancy, even painless spotting; you have a low-lying placenta or praevia and get contractions or pain, including period-like aches; or your baby is moving less than usual. Call 999 or 911, or your local emergency number, for heavy bleeding (soaking a pad soon after putting it on), severe tummy pain or if you feel faint.
A placenta position on its own is never on this list. An anterior or low-lying placenta on a report is something to talk through at your next appointment, along with the date of any follow-up scan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an anterior placenta bad?
No. An anterior placenta, attached to the front wall of the womb, is a normal position and on its own unlikely to cause problems. It can cushion the baby's kicks, so movements may feel softer or start a little later. It matters more if it is also low-lying and you have had a caesarean before, which is why your scan report records it.
When will I feel kicks with an anterior placenta?
Most women first feel movements between 16 and 24 weeks, whatever the placenta's position, though with an anterior placenta they may come towards the later end and feel softer. If you have felt nothing by 24 weeks, tell your midwife. Later on, never put fewer movements down to the placenta: call your maternity unit straight away.
How often does a low-lying placenta move up?
Most of the time. The RCOG says more than 90% of placentas reported as low-lying on the mid-pregnancy scan are no longer low by 37 weeks, as the lower part of the womb stretches and the placenta is carried upwards. It is less likely to move after a previous caesarean, which is why you are offered a follow-up scan at 32 weeks.
Can I have a vaginal birth with an anterior placenta?
Yes. An anterior placenta that is not low-lying does not change how you give birth. A caesarean is recommended when the placenta is close to or covering the neck of the womb at the end of pregnancy, whichever wall it is on.
What does placental grade 2 mean on my scan?
Placental grading, from 0 to III, describes how many bright calcium spots and folds the placenta shows on ultrasound, which increase as pregnancy goes on. Grade II in the third trimester is a common, unremarkable finding. The grading has largely fallen out of use because it predicts little on its own; the baby's growth, the fluid and blood-flow checks say far more.
Is it safe to have sex with a low-lying placenta?
You may be advised to avoid penetrative sex if your placenta is low-lying or covering the cervix, because it can trigger bleeding. After any bleeding in pregnancy, avoid sex until you have been checked. Ask your midwife or doctor what applies to you, since the advice depends on how low the placenta is.
Does a posterior or anterior placenta predict the baby's sex?
No. The idea, sometimes called Ramzi's method, comes from an article that was never published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the small studies since have contradicted one another. No guideline uses the placenta to predict sex. A blood test from 10 weeks or the 20-week scan can tell you.
Placenta position — at a glance
An anterior, posterior, fundal or lateral placenta is a normal position. An anterior placenta can make kicks feel softer, but a change in movements always needs a call to your maternity unit. A low-lying placenta has its edge less than 20 mm from the cervix and placenta praevia covers it; both lead to a follow-up scan at 32 weeks and, if still low, at 36 weeks, and more than 90% of low placentas seen mid-pregnancy move up before 37 weeks. A previous caesarean with a low, anterior placenta raises the risk of placenta accreta and is checked for specifically. Placental grades 0 to III describe calcification and are no longer relied on by themselves. Painless bleeding in the second half of pregnancy needs a call the same day.
Inside Baby Novum: the free calendar keeps your scans and appointments with reminders, so a 32-week placenta scan is booked in, and the ultrasound tracker keeps each scan with its date, week and a photo of the report. One ultrasound record is free; Premium keeps every scan.
Read next
Sources
- Jauniaux et al., RCOG Green-top Guideline No. 27a (2026) — Placenta praevia and placenta accreta spectrum: diagnosis and management
- NHS — What complications can affect the placenta?
- Tommy's — Anterior placenta
- Tommy's — Sex in pregnancy
- NHS — Your baby's movements
- Carroll et al., Midwifery 2026 — Anterior placenta and presentation with reduced fetal movements
- Cersonsky et al., American Journal of Perinatology 2026 — Anterior placenta and blood loss at first caesarean
- Kok et al., Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2009 — Clinical factors to predict the outcome of external cephalic version: a meta-analysis
- Grannum et al., American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1979 — The ultrasonic changes in the maturing placenta
- Radiopaedia — Grannum classification of placental maturity
- Bricker et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015 — Routine ultrasound in late pregnancy (after 24 weeks' gestation)
- Siargkas et al., Diagnostics 2025 — Premature placental calcification and adverse outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- ISUOG Practice Guidelines (2024) — Performance of third-trimester obstetric ultrasound scan
- Contemporary OB/GYN — Relationship between placental location and fetal gender (Ramzi's method), with editor's note
Baby Novum is an informational and tracking tool, not a medical device, and does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor or midwife about your pregnancy.