A nurse in the antepartum unit is caring for a client who is at 36 weeks of gestation and has pregnancy-induced hypertension. Suddenly, the client reports continuous abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. The nurse should suspect which of the following complications?

A. Abruptio placentae is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall, often associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension. Classic signs include sudden, continuous abdominal pain, uterine tenderness, and vaginal bleeding. This is a medical emergency due to the risk of maternal hemorrhage and fetal compromise. B. Placenta previa typically presents with painless, bright red vaginal bleeding without uterine tenderness or abdominal pain. C. Incompetent cervix generally causes painless cervical dilation in the second trimester, leading to preterm birth, not sudden pain and bleeding in the third trimester. D. Prolapsed cord occurs when the umbilical cord descends through the cervix ahead of the presenting part, causing variable decelerations in fetal heart rate and sometimes visible cord at the vaginal opening, but it is not associated with continuous abdominal pain.