Each woman, having become pregnant, begins to learn how to behave properly so that everything will be fine with her unborn child. She fully eats, does not abuse bad habits, and also regularly visits her doctor. Throughout pregnancy, it is important to monitor the placenta. What is it and why is it so important?
The placenta is the organ from which the fetus feeds and breathes. It produces hormones necessary for the normal functioning of the mother and protect the child from the internal aggression of the body, thereby preventing its rejection.
The structure of the placenta is very complex. Its formation begins almost simultaneously with the attachment of the embryo to the uterine wall. The main part of the placenta consists of villi that are intertwined with each other, resembling the roots of a mighty tree. The baby’s blood flows through these villi, and from the outside it is surrounded by maternal blood. Therefore, in the placenta there are two circulatory systems - maternal and child, between which there is an exchange. The child takes oxygen and nutrients from her mother’s blood, and returns carbon dioxide and products necessary for excretion from the body.
The placenta begins to protect the fetus from 12 weeks. She filters all bacteria and viruses in the mother’s blood, and already purified blood with oxygen enters the baby.
In addition to protective, respiratory and nutritional, the placenta also has hormonal function. It can produce about 15 hormones, the purpose of which is different. For example, sex hormones are necessary to maintain pregnancy.
The role of the placenta is very large, as it grows faster than the child himself. Already at 12 weeks of gestation , the fetus itself weighs about 4 grams, and the weight of the child's place reaches 30 grams. Already closer to the birth, the diameter is 15-18 centimeters, and the thickness of the placenta is 2-3 centimeters, and it weighs about 600 grams. In order to navigate whether everything is in order with the development of the fetus, there are special indicators listed below.
The thickness of the placenta by weeks at different stages of pregnancy:
- 20 week - 21.96 mm;
- 21 weeks - 22, 81 mm;
- 22 week - 23.66 mm;
- 23 week - 24.55 mm;
- 24th week - 25.37 mm;
- 25 week - 26.22 mm;
- 26th week - 27.07 mm;
- 27th week - 27.92 mm;
- 28th week - 28.78 mm;
- 29th week - 29.63 mm;
- 30 week - 30.48 mm;
- 31 weeks - 31.33 mm;
- 32 week - 32.18 mm;
- 33 weeks - 33.04 mm;
- 34 weeks - 33.89 mm;
- 35 week - 34.74 mm;
- 36 week - 35.59 mm;
- 37 week - 34.35 mm;
- 38 week - 34.07 mm;
- 39 weeks - 33.78 mm;
- 40 weeks - 33.50mm.
These figures may vary slightly. But if the thickness of the placenta has large deviations in size, then the pregnant woman will have to undergo a serious course of treatment.
Unfortunately, to date, abnormalities in the development of the placenta are very common. These violations never just go away and can lead to dire consequences. It is for this reason that parents need to know the causes of pathologies and treatment methods.
All future mothers who are looking forward to the birth of a baby are always worried about their baby, and the thickness of the placenta is one of the indicators of the normal course of pregnancy.
Very often, women in a position are diagnosed with “ placental hypoplasia ”, people call it “thin placenta”. The causes of this pathology may be genetic disorders. It must be borne in mind that only a strong decrease in the size of the child's place affects the fetus. Also, the size of the placenta can decrease during pregnancy - many adverse factors can contribute to its premature aging and maturation. This happens due to various diseases of the mother. The difference between genetic abnormality and changes that have occurred as a result of the disease is that the reduced thickness of the placenta caused by the disease is prevented (treated), but genetic abnormalities cannot be predicted.
Hyperplasia , that is, an increase in the size of the placenta, occurs in the case of an infectious disease, diabetes, anemia, and Rh conflict. Hyperplasia can be treated only after establishing the correct cause of its occurrence. The consequence of an increase in the placenta will be its insufficiency, which can lead to a delay in the development of the fetus (and sometimes to premature birth).
Also, the size of the placenta is affected by the physique of the woman. For example, women with small stature and weight can have a much smaller size of a child’s place than women with Rubens' shapes.
Thus, we can conclude that it is necessary to monitor not only the development of the fetus, but also on the thickness of the placenta, the norm of which is indicated above.