The degree of maturation of the placenta by week (table). Norms and abnormalities of placenta maturity

The placenta is an important organ of a pregnant woman, which is formed and exists throughout the time of fetal growth. After the appearance of a newborn child, the child's place is rejected. This unique temporary organ binds the mother and child during pregnancy. It is thanks to the placenta that the baby receives the necessary nutrients.

A child's place, like any living organism, is formed, matures and grows old. Each of these physiological processes must occur in due time. In this case, the pregnancy will proceed successfully, and the child will be healthy. If the future mother wants to know what, for example, should be the degree of maturity of the placenta in 33 weeks of pregnancy, she should use a special table with standard indicators. Such a scheme will be given in the article below. Thanks to her you can find out if the child's place is developing properly.

When is the placenta formed?

The word placenta in Latin means "cake". This organ was named so because of its discoid flattened form.

Approximately on the tenth day after the conception of cells, the purpose of which is to provide communication between the mother and the fetus, begin to actively share. As a result, special enzymes are produced. Their task is to create favorable conditions in the uterine cavity for the subsequent possibility of saturation of the baby with nutrients from the body of the mother. After this, a constant blood exchange between the pregnant woman and the baby is formed. The growth of the placenta becomes so active that the size of this organ in the initial stages even exceeds the size of the embryo.

Further there is a constant increase in weight and growth of the villous tree of the child's place. The branching of the blood vessels continues due to the separation of each of their processes into several new ones. Such a temporary organ completes the process of growth already almost before the very birth. The correctness of the development of a child's place is characterized by such an indicator as the degree of maturation of the placenta by weeks. A table with a corresponding description of the characteristics will be presented below.

Why do we need the placenta?

The main task of the placenta is to ensure the life of the fetus during the entire period of pregnancy. The children's place performs the following important functions:

• Provides immunological protection of the fetus, skipping the necessary antibodies of the pregnant woman to the baby, but at the same time retains certain cells of the immune system of the mother that could trigger the mechanism of rejection of the embryo, taking him for a foreign object;
• Removes toxins;
• Protects the baby from the negative influence of the environment, the harmful effects of bacteria and viruses;
• Functions as a gland of internal secretion, synthesizing certain hormones that are necessary for successful pregnancy;
• Supplies the fetus with oxygen and removes the resulting carbon dioxide;
• Provides the child with nutrients and helps to get rid of the products of life.

The condition of the placenta has an extremely important influence on the condition of the baby and on the process of the pregnancy as a whole. To maintain the health of this body, you need to protect it from harmful effects of a different nature. For example, it is recommended to avoid the accumulation of a large number of people, because even banal ARI or ARD can be dangerous. The future mother should not smoke. If a woman has sexual infections, they need to get rid of.

Normative thickness of the placenta

From the very beginning of pregnancy, the placenta is actively growing and developing. By the 16-18th week this organ becomes fully functional. The thickness of the child's place is slightly increased day by day. Its maximum reaches to 34 weeks. If pregnancy proceeds safely, then after a couple of weeks the growth and increase in the thickness of the placenta stop, and sometimes even go to a decline.

This indicator, characterizing the state of the child's place, can be determined exclusively by ultrasound diagnosis. The area with the greatest thickness should be measured.

If the thickness of a child's place at a particular period of pregnancy does not correspond to the normative indicators, then the functioning of this body is violated. In this case, the child may suffer as well.

Another indicator by which you can assess the state of a child's place is the degree of maturity of the placenta by week. A table with normative values will help to assess the situation competently. And now consider cases where the thickness of the child's place differs from the standard one.

If the thickness of the placenta is higher than normal

The cause of excessive thickening of the placenta in a pregnant woman may be anemia, gestosis, rhesus-conflict, diabetes mellitus. Infectious diseases also have a negative impact on the state of the child's place. And the danger exists even in the event that the future mother is just a carrier of bacteria. If pregnant smokes, consumes alcohol or narcotic substances, then the thickness of its placenta can also be increased.

The rate of aging of a child's place with such a pathology is accelerated, which means that this body copes with its functions insufficiently effectively. If the placenta is thickened, it swells, the structure of its walls becomes different, there is a violation of the hormonal background. The result of such changes is insufficient provision of the child with oxygen and nutrients. This can cause delays in intrauterine development of the baby, hypoxia, premature birth or even fetal death.

Based on the results of ultrasound diagnosis, dopplerography or cardiotocography, the doctor appoints a pregnant woman with a thickened child's place preparations that stimulate utero-placental exchange and support the normal development of the baby. If the condition of the fetus does not cause fear, the doctor may confine himself to a closer look at the future mother.

If the thickness of the placenta is less than normal

Thin placenta may indicate the hypoplasia of a child's place. This is the name of the state when this body is not sufficiently developed and is not able to cope effectively with its functions.

Excessive reduction in the thickness of the placenta can be a feature of the constitution of a pregnant woman (this is most often the case for women of medium size), and is a consequence of a number of other reasons. For example, such a pathology can arise after a future mother has suffered an infectious disease. Also can affect hypertension, hemolytic disease or atherosclerosis.

If the insufficient thickness of the placenta is a consequence of some disease of the future mother, an increase in this parameter can be affected by curing the corresponding disease. In other cases, the doctor applies medical therapy aimed at minimizing the possible negative consequences of the development of the child.

It's time to consider such an important indicator as the maturity of the placenta.

What is the maturity of the placenta?

Maturation of the placenta is a natural process accompanying the growth of this organ. The development of a child's place takes place in such a way that it can fully and timely provide the needs of the fetus.

The degree of maturity of a child's place is the most important indicator. With its help it is possible to assess the condition of the placental complex. Also, this characteristic helps in time to identify pathological changes in the structure of a child's place, which can have a negative impact on the fetus.

If the pregnancy is normal, then during its placenta period passes 4 degrees of maturity. A detailed description of each of them follows below.

The degree of maturation of the placenta by week (table)

There are 4 degrees of maturity of a child's place. Each of them corresponds to a certain period of development of this body.

Below is a summary diagram describing each degree of maturity of the placenta by week. The table contains the characteristics of the structure of a child's place and chorial tissue at various stages of pregnancy.

The table shows that the zero degree of maturity of the placenta at 30 weeks is an indicator that is within the normal range. If the doctor after the examination of a future mother is just so appreciated the growing up of a child's place, then the pregnancy is proceeding well.

Detailed description of each degree of maturity of the placenta

The next stage of maturation of the placenta normally lasts from 27 to 36 weeks of gestation. During this period, the size of the child's place stops its growth, but its thickness gradually increases. The first degree of maturity of the placenta at 34 weeks is a good indicator. Although at this time after visiting the doctor there is an opportunity to learn that the growing up of a child's place has reached the second level. And this too will be the norm.

From 34 weeks comes the most calm and stable stage of growing up a child's place. The second degree of maturity of the placenta in 39 weeks is a boundary indicator. After this period, the development of the temporary body should go to the third level. If such a transition occurs before the deadline, do not worry. Most often there are no reasons for alarm in this case.

Next comes the third degree of maturity of the placenta. At 36 weeks and later the baby's place enters the final phase of its development. During this period, the biological aging of the temporary organ takes place. It is accompanied by a reduction in the exchange area of the placenta and the appearance of a large number of calcium deposits.

If the child's place is ahead of the norm of its development or, conversely, lags behind it, it is possible the development of pathologies. Such situations are discussed below.

Untimely development of the placenta

One of the problems associated with a child's place may be his premature ripening. About such pathology it is possible to talk, if the 2nd degree of maturity of the placenta at 32 weeks of pregnancy has already come. In this case, the condition of the fetus must be carefully monitored. After all, this situation indicates a placental insufficiency. More details of this common case will be considered below.

Another problem that occurs more rarely than the previous one is the later maturation of a child's place. Most often, this pathology is characteristic in the case when there are congenital malformations of the fetus. Additional risk factors are diabetes of the future mother, rhesus-conflict or the presence of such harmful habits, such as smoking or drinking alcohol, in the pregnant woman. If there is a delay in the maturation of the placenta, then the risk of the birth of a dead child increases.

Premature ripening of the placenta

This development is considered premature, when the second degree of maturity of the placenta occurs at 32 weeks of pregnancy and earlier.

The causes of this pathology are as follows:

• Gestosis;
• Disturbed hormonal background;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system or diabetes mellitus in pregnant women;
• Presence of pathogens of infectious diseases;
• Hypertension in a future mother;
• Multiple pregnancies;
• Excess calcium in the body of a woman;
• Presentation or detachment of the placenta;
• Rhesus-conflict;
• Use of pregnant alcohol, nicotine, narcotic substances.

It is also considered premature to grow up when the third degree of maturation of the placenta occurs before the 36th week of pregnancy. However, in itself, the early aging of a child's place is not an immediate threat to the health or life of the fetus. Such a pathology is dangerous in the case when the doctor after the examination of the pregnant woman revealed violations that could lead to negative consequences. It can be fetal hypoxia, intrauterine growth retardation, risk of premature birth.

Doctors should check for pathology using other diagnostic methods. If the fears are confirmed, the pregnant woman is given appropriate treatment, in some cases even stationary.

Conclusion

The most important indicator of the placenta is the degree of its maturity. This characteristic makes it possible to evaluate both the physiological and pathological changes in the temporal organ. Using the special table given in the article, a future mother can learn for a specific pregnancy period the appropriate degree of maturity of the placenta. 31 weeks, for example, should be characterized by the first level of development of a child's place.

If the results of the diagnosis are only slightly different from the normative indices, you need not worry. Trust your doctor. He will conduct additional studies, assess the condition of the fetus and, if necessary, prescribe appropriate treatment.