What the placenta looks like and where it is attached?

One amazing organ that is vital to pregnancy is the placenta. It is frequently referred to as a disk-shaped structure, and although that description may seem a little enigmatic, its function is quite simple: it supports and feeds the growing baby inside the womb.

Consider the placenta to be a kind of lifeline that joins the mother and child. It clings to the uterine wall, where it forges a robust bond with the blood vessels to supply the developing fetus with vital nutrients and oxygen. Its location and appearance may change slightly from pregnancy to pregnancy, but its purpose always stays the same: to give the developing baby a secure and nurturing environment.

Gaining knowledge about the placenta’s function and attachment site can help you appreciate the intricate and exquisite process of pregnancy on a deeper level. It’s essential to the initiation and development of life in the womb.

An essential organ, the placenta develops during pregnancy to supply the fetus with nourishment and oxygen while expelling waste. It is often affixed to the uterine wall and resembles a flat, round disk with a spongy texture. Parents can better appreciate the placenta’s vital role in promoting their unborn child’s development during pregnancy by being aware of its appearance and the location of its attachment.

Structure and functions

If you translate the Latin word placenta, you get a "cake". This is exactly what this organ looks like. People call it "baby"s place". The placenta does not begin to form immediately after the baby is conceived, but only after 8-10 days, when the fertilized egg descends into the uterine cavity and attaches to its inner wall with the help of chorionic villi (part of the fetal membrane). From this moment, the chorion, the precursor of the placenta, is responsible for feeding the embryo, supplying it with oxygen and producing the hormones necessary for bearing the fetus. The placenta itself is formed gradually and begins to function from about the 13-14th week of pregnancy. The "baby"s place" grows until the middle of the second trimester, then its growth stops, and the placenta begins to gradually "fade away", "age". By the time of birth, it has completely exhausted its resources and is born 15-60 minutes after the birth of the baby.

The structure of the placenta is quite complex, and each of its layers provides its own functions. In general, it is a spongy organ, densely saturated with a network of blood vessels communicating with lacunae filled with maternal blood. The importance of the placenta for a growing baby is difficult to overestimate – it protects the child by creating a hemoplacental barrier. The "baby"s place" allows antibodies produced by the mother"s immunity to pass to the baby in the womb, which provides the child with innate passive immunity. Some not the most useful substances entering the mother"s body are blocked and retained by one of the layers of the placenta, not allowing them to pass to the baby. The placenta nourishes the child, performing the functions of gas exchange. Oxygen comes to the baby from the mother"s blood through the "baby"s place", carbon dioxide is removed back. Giving the baby access to vitamins and minerals, as well as water, the placenta removes the baby"s metabolic products back into the mother"s body – urea, creatine and creatinine.

During pregnancy, the "baby"s place" is also an endocrine gland – it produces some hormones necessary for maintaining pregnancy and fetal development. First of all, this is hCG, produced immediately after implantation by chorionic villi, as well as placental lactogen, which is necessary to prepare the mammary glands for the upcoming breastfeeding. The placenta produces prolactin, which is responsible for the lactation process, progesterone, which is responsible for maintaining pregnancy and preventing menstruation, as well as serotonin, estrogens and relaxin. The placenta is conventionally divided into two parts – the fetal part, which is on the baby"s side, and the maternal part – the part adjacent to the wall of the uterus. The umbilical cord is attached to the central part of the placenta on the fetal side – a strong cord that directly connects the fetus and the "baby"s place".

Types of location

Where the fertilized egg managed to attach at the moment of implantation is where the placenta forms in the uterus. The health of the woman, the state of her endometrium, her hormone levels, the overall health of the expectant mother’s reproductive system, and the proper formation of the fertilized egg all play a significant role in this delicate process. the ideal and proper attachment of the chorion (and later the placenta) to the uterine wall, either along the anterior or posterior wall, nearer the bottom of the organ. Contrary to what might appear at first glance, the bottom is actually at the very top of the uterus.

The better the pregnancy progresses and the more hopeful the prognosis for the impending birth is, the farther the "baby’s place" is from the vaginal opening.

The fertilized egg may not be able to attach itself in the right location and may descend lower if a woman has endometriosis, fibroids, abnormalities in the uterine structure, a history of abortions, or postoperative scarring on the uterus. When this happens, the attachment will be weak and may lead to pathologies like placenta previa, which is its marginal attachment.

Some experts claim that the place of attachment of the fertilized egg is affected not only by the health of the expectant mother, the presence of bad habits and fetal factors, but also by gravity. The essence of the theory is that the embryo is more likely to attach itself where it has a greater chance of being – if a woman prefers to sleep on her left side, then the fertilized egg will be located in the left part of the uterus. However, there is no convincing scientific evidence for this theory yet. However, it is absolutely known that the fetus will never attach itself where it is unsafe and inconvenient for it to develop and grow. If there are tumors in the uterus, scars, then the fertilized egg will bypass them with amazing accuracy and find another place for itself, perhaps not always normal, from the point of view of doctors, due to the risk of complications during gestation and childbirth.

With a normal location of the placenta, the growing uterus creates the most favorable conditions for the development of the baby – the edges of the placenta, as it grows, move to the lateral parts of the uterus, and the blood supply becomes more intense, sufficient and providing for all the needs of the tiny organism. Placenta previa, in which the "baby"s place" is at the very bottom, completely or partially blocking the exit to the small pelvis, is a serious and dangerous pathology that threatens miscarriage, premature birth, as well as the development of severe bleeding in the case of its spontaneous detachment, which can cause the death of the mother and fetus. Marginal attachment is a less dangerous, but also pathological variant of location. The lower location of the placenta, in which it does not affect the entrance to the cervical canal of the cervix and does not block the exit to the small pelvis, although it is considered pathological, has a more favorable prognosis. The growing uterus stimulates the rise (migration) of the placenta higher, which happens in the vast majority of cases.

Along the anterior wall

For women who have previously carried and given birth to children, the fertilized egg is typically adhered to the anterior wall of the uterus. The anterior wall is less likely to experience placentation in primiparous women. Treatment is not necessary for this location because it is thought to be a normal variant in and of itself. While low anterior location is associated with a higher risk of placental abruption, it is uncommon to find the "baby’s place" at this location.

The woman typically feels the fetus’s movements later than other women and they are not as strong or pronounced if the placenta is along the anterior wall. However, this fact will undoubtedly cheer up the expectant mother when the babies start to kick painfully in the later stages of gestation, when there is not much room left in the uterus.

Along the back wall

The "baby’s place" is usually along the back wall. This is the traditional benchmark. Blood is best supplied to the upper (closer to the bottom) wall of the uterus. A mother can still feel her baby’s first movements before the baby is born, even if the placenta is in the back. Furthermore, it is more difficult to harm a placenta that is situated along the back wall in the event of a fall or other blunt trauma.

Low location

If the placenta’s edge is only 6 centimeters above the internal os of the uterus, it is considered to have a low attachment. Overactivity on the part of the infant can harm the "baby’s place," and the developing fetus’s weight increases the risk of an early placental abruption. In addition to interfering with a natural delivery, low placentation increases the risk of fetal hypoxia in the event of partial detachment. About 3% of pregnant women whose placenta does not rise or migrate during the course of the pregnancy typically give birth via cesarean section.

Presentation

A partial or incomplete presentation is described as the placenta covering the internal os by about a third; however, if the placenta covers the internal os completely, this is referred to as a dense, total presentation, which is an unquestionable and unqualified indication for a cesarean section. This complication puts the possibility of bleeding during pregnancy at risk. It also poses a risk in the event that labor breaks out on its own because it can result in severe bleeding, acute hypoxia in the developing baby, the baby’s death, and the mother’s death from blood loss.

Additional (additional) lobe of the placenta

Such pathology is found in about 8% of pregnant women. The placenta with an additional lobe consists of a large body and a small one, which are connected by blood vessels and a membrane. The umbilical cord is always attached to the large lobe. During pregnancy, the extra lobe does not pose a particular danger, but during childbirth it risks peeling off, causing bleeding. Obstetricians, when delivering urgently, do not always know for sure about the presence of an additional lobe, and it may well remain in the uterine cavity after delivery. This situation will require additional curettage, since the woman will begin to develop a strong inflammatory process. In the early stages, the additional lobe is not visible to anyone, because the placenta acquires its shape only by the fourth month.

Prior to delivery, the right diagnosis must be made in order to prevent complications during the postpartum phase.

One amazing organ that is vital to the pregnancy process is the placenta. It is frequently described as having a somewhat reddish or pinkish appearance, resembling a flat, round, spongy disk. Through the umbilical cord, this organ is connected to the baby and supplies all the vital nutrients and oxygen required for growth and development.

Equally significant to its appearance is its attachment. The placenta typically adheres to the top or side of the uterine inner wall. Its location is essential because it helps to eliminate waste from the baby’s blood and guarantees that the infant receives a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen.

Knowing the location and function of the placenta can provide important information about the mother’s and the unborn child’s health. Ensuring that the baby develops normally and has all the support needed for a healthy start in life is a crucial aspect of a healthy pregnancy.

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