Roles of the Placenta and Amniotic Fluid

Question 1

what hormone does the placenta secret to ensure the uterus lining remains thick and prevent the embryo from aborting?

Answer 1

progesterone

Question 2

what is the membrane that encloses the developing embryo called?

Answer 2

amnion

Question 3

what is the fluid called that the amnion secretes?

Answer 3

amniotic fluid

Question 4

what does amniotic fluid do?

Answer 4

protects the developing embryo against jolts and bumps (mechanical shocks), drying out, and temperature fluctuations (due to waters high specific heat capacity)

Question 5

what do we call a cell that looks human?

Answer 5

foetus

Question 6

what happens at the end of the nine months of development of the foetus?

Answer 6

it sends a hormone signal to the mother to initiate birth (go into labour)
- once the foetus is born we refer to it as a baby

Question 7

what connects the placenta to the baby?

Answer 7

the umbilical cord

Question 8

where does the placenta develop from?

Answer 8

the embryo - the placenta anchors the embryo in the uterus

Question 9

what nutrients does the placenta allow to pass through to the baby?

Answer 9

• glucose
• amino acids
• salts
• oxygen

Question 10

what waste products pass through the placenta to the mother?

Answer 10

• carbon dioxide
• urea

Question 11

how do materials pass through the placenta?

Answer 11

by diffusion

Question 12

there is no physical connection between the circulatory systems of the embryo and its mother so their blood doesn’t mix - why is this?

Answer 12

1. the mothers blood is much higher pressure than the fetal blood
2. the mothers blood has white blood cells and other chemicals that would see the fetal blood as foreign and attack it