Pregnancy is a wonderful and unexplored period in the life of every woman. For example, a completely new organ called the placenta forms in the pregnant woman’s body, which functions from the moment of conception to the birth of the baby.
The placenta is located on the back of the uterus or on the front. Both the one and the other option are considered the norm, but most often this body occupies the back part. By 15-16 weeks, the formation of a child's place, as the placenta is called in common people, completely ends, and then, until the end of pregnancy, it will grow and nourish the fetus with the necessary substances.
All 38-40 weeks, a doctor who monitors the condition of a pregnant woman, conducts ultrasound examinations. Thus, he has the ability to monitor not only the condition of the baby in the womb, but also the development of the placenta. The location of the placenta on the back wall or on the front is also determined during diagnosis. Normally, after 32 weeks of gestation, the placenta should rise up in the uterus. If this does not happen, a woman may be diagnosed with placenta previa, which often threatens the development of pregnancy.
Studies show that if there is a localization of the placenta along the posterior wall of the uterus with a transition to one of the sides, pregnancy is less likely to cause complications, because the front of the uterus undergoes more pronounced changes.
Consider the main functions of the placenta, necessary for the development of the fetus.
Link function
It does not matter on which side the placenta is located, on the posterior wall of the uterus or vice versa, its main purpose is to connect two organisms together: mother and child. For this, there is an umbilical cord, through the vessels of which all the necessary nutrients are passed from mother to child.
Fetal protection
Given that the mother’s body has a formed immunity, in contrast to the body of an unborn baby, a woman easily tolerates various infections derived from the environment. And it is the placenta that protects the fetus from invading the baby’s microflora of harmful substances received by the mother during pregnancy.
Food
For normal development, the child needs food before birth. This is how the placenta functions. On the back wall of the uterus, it is attached with the help of villi, and umbilical cord vessels lead to the fetus, through which everything necessary for the baby to be fully developed, including oxygen, is transmitted.
Hormonal control
The placenta also provides hormone synthesis, which helps the fetus develop and maintains pregnancy.
There are two main complications associated with the functioning of the placenta.
Placenta increment
As a rule, this pathology is detected only in the process of delivery, when the child has already been born. In this case, the placenta does not separate and does not leave the mother's body. With the development of such a pathology, the doctor separates this organ manually by immersing the hand in the uterine cavity.
Placental abruption
It does not matter, the placenta is located on the back of the uterus or on the opposite side, its detachment is always accompanied by bleeding and threatens the life of both the mother and the child. Therefore, a pregnant woman should always listen to her own feelings and report any discomfort to a doctor. After all, there are known cases of death of both the mother and the child, which occurred as a result of detachment. In some situations, if the uterus is filled with blood, doctors have to resort to surgery, including removal of the uterus in general.
During the observation of a pregnant woman by a doctor, the condition of the placenta is always examined first, therefore, if any pathology is detected, do not panic, because the further course of pregnancy depends on your mood. And if you listen to the opinion of doctors and follow all the simple instructions, then you will be able to avoid many problems in this period of time with ease!