Aging of the placenta

It is known that the growth and development of the placenta occurs with the growth of the fetus. With the course of pregnancy, the baby needs more and more nutrients, so the number of villi and the mass of the placenta also increases. Then the villi acquire a branched structure, which is accompanied by an increase in the number of blood vessels.

What is "aging of the placenta"?

As the gestation period increases, closer to its end, the placenta begins to reverse development, i.e. there is a process of aging of the placenta. Normally, it starts at 37-38 weeks. If changes in ultrasound are noted earlier than the above date, they say premature aging of the placenta, which means that the child's place is not functioning correctly.

What can be caused by premature aging of the placenta?

In most cases, the exact cause of aging of the placenta can not be established. Typically, this violation is caused by a combination of factors. So to the factors contributing to the development of this violation, it is possible to relate:

• the presence of abortions in the past;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• toxicosis;
• development of intrauterine infection;
• chronic diseases of the reproductive system;
• low location of the placenta in the uterine cavity;
• multiple pregnancy.

The above factors eventually lead to a violation of the normal blood supply to the fetus, which is accompanied by degenerative changes in the structure of the placenta.

How is the diagnosis of the violation carried out?

In most cases, any signs of aging of the placenta, allowing to detect a woman's disease on her own, are absent. The pregnant woman does not notice any changes in her condition and feels well.

That is why, for early diagnosis, ultrasound is performed at an early stage. In those cases when the disease occurs at a period of up to 16 weeks, a frozen pregnancy develops, and congenital malformations often develop.

How to help the baby with premature aging of the placenta?

In detecting such a violation, a woman is taken for special control. The diagnosis of "aging of the placenta" is made when the placenta of the third degree of maturity is observed for up to 36 weeks. This means that the placenta undergoes changes that lead to its aging: thinning of the tissue layers, a decrease in the number of blood vessels, the appearance of calcareous plaque, etc.

As a rule, to improve the condition of the fetus, and to prevent the development of pathology, metabolic therapy is carried out, which, in addition to taking medications, includes changing the regime of the pregnant woman's day and dieting.