Have you ever wondered how do babies
inside the mother’s womb be able to breath, eat, eliminate waste, in short,
able to survive without food and air? Well, if you don’t know the answer yet, I
guess it’s about time you should know it by now.
Science had been taught to us
eversince we started going to school. So basic anatomy and physiology of the
human body is not new to us.
Before going to the real deal, I would
like to share first what my favorite breakfast is. Pancakes. Hmmmm. Topped with
chunks of your favorite fruit or sweets then sizzled with generous amount of
maple and chocolate syrup. Yuuumeeeeh! Speaking of pancakes, did you know that
the Latin word for pancake is Placenta?
This organ is the one responsible for
the nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas
exchange of a growing fetus. In short, without the placenta, a baby will not
able to survive inside a mother’s tummy. It serves as the lungs, kidneys and
gastrointestinal tract for the growing fetus.
In addition, placenta is the most striking change in the endocrine system during pregnancy.most of us already know that an endocrine organ produces large amounts of different hormones. Estrogen, progesterone, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), relaxin and prostaglandins are hormones produced by the placenta.
In addition, placenta is the most striking change in the endocrine system during pregnancy.most of us already know that an endocrine organ produces large amounts of different hormones. Estrogen, progesterone, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), relaxin and prostaglandins are hormones produced by the placenta.
How does a placenta
look like? I have previously mentioned that placenta is the Latin word for
pancake, which is descriptive of its actual appearance. The average size of
placenta is 22 cm in length and 2-2.5 cm in thickness. It most likely weighs
500 grams. This dark-reddish blue organ is connected to the fetus by an
umbilical cord of 55-60 cm in length that has two arteries and one vein. Here’s
an actual picture of a freshly expelled placenta.
Now the big question is, how do the
nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange take place? the answer
is, through the blood supply of the mother.
About 100 maternal uterine arteries
supply blood to the placenta. Blood vessels branch out over the surface of the
organ. These vessels are further divided to form a network. Network of vessels
will then form into a villuos tree-like structure called chorionic villi. As
the number of chorionic villi increases with pregnancy, intervillous spaces
also becomes larger and are separated by septa or segments. Approximately 30
segments called cotyledons can be seen in a mature placenta. These what makes
the maternal side of the placenta look rough and uneven. The fetal side on the
other hand, is smooth and shiny. An image below shows how does a placenta
looked like inside a mother’s womb while it is connected to the baby.
A more detailed picture for you to visualize
the anatomical parts of a placenta.
Like any other organ in the human
body, placenta also has a few and rare diseases that associates with it. Here’s
a list of some of diseases of the placenta:
1.Placenta
abruptio. It is the separation of the placenta from its attachment to the
uterus wall of the mother prior to the delivery of the baby. The exact
cause of is hard to determineand direct cause is said to be rare. Injury to the
belly area and sudden loss of uterine volume are believed to directly cause
this disease.
2.Choriocarcinoma. An
uncommon form of cancer that occurs in a woman's uterus during pregnancy. It is
a type of gestational trophoblastic disease and very often curable cancer. The
fetus may or may not develop normally if the mother suffers from this disease.
Very high
magnification micrograph of choriocarcinoma. H&E stain.
3.Hydatidiform
mole. Also known as molar pregnancy, is a "rare mass or growth that forms inside the
uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy." It is also a type of
gestational trophoblastic disease. This condition results from the
over-production of the tissue that is intended to develop into a placenta later
on. This how a mass looks like inside the tummy of a pregnant woman.
4.Placenta previa.
A problem during pregnancy wherein the
placenta grows in the lowest part of the uterus and covers the opening to the
cervix. Normal delivery would be impossible for the placenta blocks the opening
of the birth canal.
Reference/s:
Pillitteri, Adele, (2007) Maternal and
Child Health Nursing:Care of the Childbearing and Childrearing Family, 5th
Edition
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