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Chapter 62 - The Placenta and Its Association with Fetal Growth

from Section 7 - Placenta

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2021

By
Gwendolin Manegold-Brauer ,
Olav Lapaire  and
Irene Hösli
Edited by
Tahir Mahmood ,
Charles Savona Ventura ,
Ioannis Messinis  and
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Tahir Mahmood
Affiliation:
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Charles Savona Ventura
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Ioannis Messinis
Affiliation:
University of Thessaly, Greece
Sambit Mukhopadhyay
Affiliation:
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, UK
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Summary

The placenta is a unique organ of pregnancy that plays a key role in the normal development and normal growth of the fetus. It creates the intrauterine environment, which, as we know today, has a long-term impact on the health of the developing human being. Its ability to take over functions of the liver, lung, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and endocrine organs illustrates its multi-organ function. The placenta has two main components – one is of maternal origin, one belongs to the fetus – and interaction between these two parts needs to be optimal for a successful pregnancy, controlling optimal exchange of nutrients, oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide. This chapter will give further insight into the structure, blood supply and metabolic transfer of the normal placenta and will present today’s concepts of its role in long-term health.

Type
Chapter
Information
The EBCOG Postgraduate Textbook of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Obstetrics & Maternal-Fetal Medicine
 , pp. 505 - 512
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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