Placenta
Placenta is an organ formed in the uterus during pregnancy that links the blood of the mother to the blood of the fetus.
Purpose[edit | edit source]
Placenta is the organ that provides the fetus with nutrients and removes waste.
Development[edit | edit source]
Between Weeks 0 and 13, the fertilized blastocyst embeds in the uterine wall, and development of the fetus and placenta begin. At this time, the placenta is a relatively low-oxygen environment. Placental villi are lined with cells known as cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts. The cytotrophoblasts breach the uterine wall and begin reshaping blood vessels there. These remodeled vessels become a source of maternal blood for the placenta. The placenta develops to bring oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and to move harmful waste and nutrients away. Over time, the villi develop increasingly dense branching to accommodate the increased demand of the developing fetus.
Reshaping of spiral arteries[edit | edit source]
Spiral arteries in the uterine wall are remodeled to supply blood to the fetus during pregnancy. When there is no pregnancy, the spiral artery spans the tissue of the uterine wall, supplying blood to the lining. In a normal pregnancy, cytotrophoblast cells from placental villi invade the space around the spiral artery, replacing cells which normally line the vessel.
Also see[edit | edit source]
Placenta previa - a problem of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus and covers all or part of the opening to the cervix.
| Placenta Resources | |
|---|---|
|
 |
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
|
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
| Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD
