The placenta

Question 1

what is the placenta

Answer 1

The placenta is an organ that supplies nutrients and oxygen and removes wastes and carbon dioxide from the foetus.

Question 2

what are the 5 roles of the placenta

Answer 2

• immunity
• respiration
• excretion
• nutrition
• endocrine

Question 3

describe how the placenta provides immunity

Answer 3

Transports antibodies from the mother into the foetal blood supply so that the foetus has immunity to some infectious disease

Question 4

describe how the placenta provides respiration

Answer 4

Transports oxygen from the mother to the foetus, and carbon dioxide from the foetus to the mother

Question 5

describe how the placenta provides excretion

Answer 5

Transports nitrogenous wastes from the foetal blood to the mother’s blood supply for excretion by the mother’s kidneys

Question 6

describe how the placenta provides nutrients

Answer 6

Transports nutrients such as glucose from the mother’s blood to the foetal blood

Question 7

describe how the placenta provides endocrine

Answer 7

secretes a number of hormones necessary for maintaining pregnancy

Question 8

what substances are transported from the mother to the foetus through the placenta

Answer 8

• nutrients and oxygen for the foetus to grow and survive

Question 9

what substances are transported from the foetus to the mother through the placenta

Answer 9

• wastes and carbon dioxide

Question 10

why is it important that the blood of the mother and the blood of the foetus do not mix

Answer 10

Because both organisms may have different blood types. If different and mixed the mother’s blood will produce antibodies against the baby’s blood, putting the baby’s health at risk as well as the whole pregnancy.

Question 11

what is the umbilical cord

Answer 11

The cord that attaches the foetus to the placenta

Question 12

how many blood vessels does the umbilical cord contain

Answer 12

three - 2 umbilical arteries and 1 umbilical vein

Question 13

what happens to the placenta after the baby is born

Answer 13

The placenta must be expelled from the body after birth.

Question 14

what are four substances that can pass through the placenta and cause harm to the foetus?

Answer 14

• alcohol
• ingredients of cigarettes
• illicit drugs
• prescription drugs

Question 15

Discuss how the roles of the placenta establish viable pregnancy during the embryonic cycle

Answer 15

The placenta is an organ that supplies nutrients and removes wastes from the foetus. Chorionic villi develop from the chorion membrane and contain blood vessels. As the baby’s chorionic villi penetrate the endometrium, it becomes surrounded by the mother’s blood. The placenta is attached to the foetus via the umbilical cord, which consists of umbilical veins and arteries. The arteries release wastes and CO2 and absorb nutrients and O2 through the veins, all by diffusion and active transport.