Placenta Flashcards
How do you identify which is the foetal side of the placenta?
Umbilical cord
What are the functions of the placenta?
Gaseous exchange
Transport of nutrients
Excretion
Hormone and protein synthesis
What hormone does the syncytiotrophonblast secrete and what does this trigger?
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HGC) to maintain the corpus luteum
Triggers the secretion of progesterone
What does somatomammotropin do?
Gives foetal priority of maternal glucose as well as promoting milk production
What does a decidual reaction consist of?
Increased vascular permeability in the tissue underlying the fetus
Odema in the intercellular matrix
Swelling of stromal cells with accumulation of glycogen granules
Progressive sprouting and ingrowth of capillaries
What are the foetal components of the placenta?
Trophoblast
Chorionic plate
Chorion frondosum
What are the maternal components of the placenta?
Uterine endometrium
Decidua basalis
What is the umbilical cord composed of?
Single vein that carries oxygenated blood rich in nutrients from the placenta to the foetus
Two ateries that return deoxygenated blood and waste products from the fetus back to the placenta
Blood vessels are enclosed and protected by Whartons jelly
What is a cotyledon?
A gross unit of placenta
What are the three structural features of the placenta?
Cotyledon
Free edge of amnion section
Umbilical cord
What is placenta accreta?
When the placenta implants too deeply, all the way to the actual muscle of the uterine wall
What is placenta praevia?
When the placement of the placenta is too close to or blocks the cervix
What is placenta abruption?
When the placental lining seperates from the uterus of the mother prior to delivery
What is pre- eclampsia?
Abnormal development of the placenta leads to poor placental perfusion charecterized by poor trophoblastic invasion