What are the shapes of the placenta?

When a woman is in the early stages of pregnancy, the placenta in her belly grows rapidly. During this process, many precious nutrients are stored in the placenta. These nutrients are stored to ensure the normal development of the fetus. This shows the importance of the placenta. In fact, the placenta has many functions for the fetus, such as protecting it. So what shapes does the placenta generally have?

What are the shapes of the placenta?

The placenta is an organ that exchanges substances between the mother and the fetus. It is a combination of embryonic and maternal tissues and is the source of life for the baby. It attaches to the uterus and receives nutrients and oxygen for the baby inside. If it becomes abnormal or aged, it will directly affect the baby's growth and development, and even endanger the baby's life. What shapes does the placenta generally have?

The placenta is disc-shaped and embedded in the uterine wall. During delivery, the placenta is detached from the uterus and squeezed out of the uterus due to the contraction of the uterine muscle layer. The placenta is thick in the center and thin at the edges. The side facing the amniotic cavity is smooth and is called the sub-surface; the umbilical cord is located in the center. There are blood vessels in the umbilical cord, whose branches connect the cotyledons of each villus. The other side is rough and is called the mother surface, which is the torn section of the peeled decidua tissue.

The main part of the placenta is the dendritic villi. The surface layer of the villi is trophoblastic epithelium, and the middle layer is connective tissue and blood vessels. The placenta is an organ that exchanges substances between the mother and the fetus. It is a combination of embryonic and maternal tissues and is composed of the amnion, chorionic villi and decidua basalis.

The surface layer of the villi is trophoblast epithelium, the middle layer is connective tissue and blood vessels. These blood vessels are derived from the early allantoic vessels. The placenta has two sets of blood circulation. The core of the villi belongs to the fetal system; the intervillous space and decidual area belong to the maternal system. The human placenta is a decidual, disc-shaped, sinusoidal chorionic placenta that is connected to the allantois blood flow. Primates such as orangutans and monkeys have placentas with similar structures. This is different from the situation in broad-nosed monkeys, where the villi of the placenta are interconnected to form a network.

A normal placenta should be oval in shape. If a wheel-shaped placenta, inverted placenta, placenta previa, or triangular placenta occurs, it is considered an abnormal shape and may affect the fetus. It is recommended to check the triangular placenta now. If there is no vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain at present, it should not be a big problem. Just observe closely.