The placenta is what develops in the uterus during pregnancy, connecting a growing fetus to the mother’s womb. It provides oxygen and nutrients to the baby all while removing toxins and waste. Unfortunately, experts say it’s poorly understood, and the research field is severely underappreciated.
Here are five things that might surprise you about the placenta.
Yes, it’s actually an organ
Many are shocked to find out it’s an organ, and arguably one of the most important ones. I mean, c’mon, it builds life. The baby’s development depends on it, plus it provides immune protections and produces critical hormones.
“It serves multiple functions and essentially works as multiple little organ systems,” said Dr. Margareta Pisarska, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
It has a lasting impact beyond pregnancy
The placenta is delivered or removed after a baby is born. That’s why it’s often referred to as “afterbirth.”
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It may be obvious that the placenta impacts both mother and fetus during pregnancy, but we now know it’s connected to their health post pregnancy and birth.
“These different patterns of injury in the placenta can dictate different ways in which the baby, once it’s born and grows up as an adult, is prone to different…
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