Although all kinds of properties are attributed to the placenta and there are many rituals around it, the truth is that we know little about its more physiological functions.
When and how is it formed?
The placenta forms at the same time the embryo. The first days after fertilization we find an egg that, on its journey through the tube, divides into smaller cells.
On the fourth day, after fertilization, the egg, already divided into 50 or 60 cells, reaches the interior of the uterus. From this momentThese cells are going to organize, some forming what will be the embryo and others what will give rise to the placenta.
Around the sixth day, this pre-embryo will “implant”, that is, it will attach itself to the inside of the uterus and it will do so in the area where the cells that will give rise to the placenta have been placed.
From day 6 on, the formation of the future placenta begins. On day 12 there is already what is called utero-placental circulation. At the end of the third week the blood of the embryo already flows through the primitive placenta.
How does it look like?
It is disc-shaped, has a diameter of 15 to 20 cm, a thickness of 2 to 3 cm and a weight (at the end of pregnancy) of 500 to 600 g. The area of the placenta that is attached to the uterus has an irregular appearance, divided into segments, called “cotyledons” and its color is reminiscent of the liver. The internal or fetal area of the placenta is smooth, the umbilical cord joins in the center and we can see the blood vessels that go from the umbilical cord to the area of the placenta where the exchange with its mother takes place.
The placenta has two faces
Maternal side: It is the area of the placenta that is attached to the wall of the uterus. There a network of blood vessels will be established, which are the ones that will carry out the exchange of substances with the mother, on the one hand, the baby will receive the nutrients he needs and on the other, it will get rid of all the waste substances that, at the moment, it is not able to eliminate itself.
On the other hand, it is on this face of the placenta where there are some structures that allow the fixation of the embryo to the wall of the uterus.
Fetal face: It is the area where the umbilical cord is anchored. It is smooth and covered by a sheet of membranes called Amnion, where we found the amniotic fluid and the baby.
Which functions has?
The functions of the placenta are many more than we can imagine.
- Secretes hormones. In the first days of pregnancy, the HCG hormone that maintains the “corpus luteum” in the ovary begins to secrete, which is the scar left by the ovum when it exits the tube and which is in charge of secreting Progesterone until week 12 to maintain the pregnancy.
- Secretes progesterone from week 12, a fundamental hormone for the pregnancy to run properly.
- Other hormones that ensure the nutrition of the baby and the growth of the uterus, for example.
- Provides essential nutrients to the baby.
- Eliminate waste substances from the baby, because their organs are not yet ready to do it themselves.
- Gas exchange, making the function of respiration, providing the baby with oxygen and eliminating CO2
- Immune function: transmits to the baby antibodies from its mother against certain diseases.
- Barrier function, preventing many bacteria and harmful substances from passing to the baby.
Delivery
Although this word is often used to refer to childbirth, it is a mistake. Delivery is the last phase of labor, in which the placenta is delivered after the baby is delivered.
If the placenta is placed in the uterus in front of the baby, this is called placenta previa, vaginal delivery is impossible.
The placenta is only delivered when it is no longer neededThat is why it is the last to leave the mother's body.
What happens to the placenta after delivery, can I claim it?
The placenta, when delivery occurs in a hospital or clinic is considered a biological waste and it is treated as such, proceeding to its treatment and incineration by specialized companies. If the birth occurs at home it is isolate and deprive the one who decides what to do with the placenta.
There certain legal vacuum regarding the possibility of claiming the placenta to take it to our home and process it to our liking. If you have considered it, I recommend that you get in touch with the hospital management with enough time for them to indicate the procedures to follow.
The placenta and the umbilical cord are what maintain the connection with the mother and provide the baby with all the nutrients, in addition to the blood and oxygen that it needs to breathe.