When is the placenta formed?

The placenta is the most important organ that is responsible for the correct development of the baby in the womb of the mother. When the placenta is fully formed, the baby gets his first house (not without reason the placenta is called a child's place ), which on the one hand makes it possible to get everything necessary for growth and development, and on the other - protects his small host from harmful toxins and other not very useful substances, located in the body of the mother. In addition to providing the fetus with useful substances, the placenta is responsible for the supply of oxygen and the withdrawal of waste products.


Formation of the placenta during pregnancy

It is difficult to accurately determine the time when the placenta begins to form, because the initial stage can be attributed already to the 7th day after conception. At this point, the embryo cuts into the uterine mucosa, settling in a so-called lacuna, which is filled with maternal blood. At this time, the chorion develops - the outer envelope of the fetus, which can surely be called the precursor of the placenta.

15-16 week of pregnancy - this is the time frame for the formation of the placenta. By the 20th week, when the organ is ready for independent functioning, the formation of the placenta completely ends.

In the normal course of pregnancy without any complications and pathologies, the placenta is formed on the back or front wall of the uterus. The timing of the formation of the placenta is due to the individual characteristics of the body, but as a rule, by the 36th week of pregnancy the organ reaches its functional maturity. Immediately before birth, the placenta has a thickness of 2 to 4 cm, and in diameter reaches 18 cm.

Placenta after birth

Regardless of how many weeks the placenta is formed, the organ undergoes 4 stages of maturity during pregnancy. Surprisingly, before the birth the placenta is in a state of physical aging - its dimensions decrease slightly, and salt deposits appear on the surface. This is the fourth degree of maturity of the placenta .

After birth, the placenta is separated from the walls of the uterus independently within 15-20 minutes. In some cases, it may take a longer period - up to 50 minutes. The doctor should carefully examine the integrity of the placenta in order to make sure that there are no fragments left in the uterus that can cause inflammation. Then the placenta is sent to a morphological study, according to the results of which it is possible to evaluate the course of pregnancy and the reasons for possible deviations.