The placenta is an organ that is formed during pregnancy inside the uterus and has the important mission of nourishing the baby and filtering the excess waste that is generated during the gestation months.
The placenta has a few degrees of maturity and now we will stop at when it is said that a placenta is aged or there is an old or hypermature placenta.
The life of the placenta
The placenta does not have an unlimited life in its functions, but it is evolving, maturing, and could become “old”. The duration of the placenta in its full functions does not normally end before delivery occurs.
However, on some occasions when the expected date of delivery is exceeded or due to certain anomalies there may be a risk that there is an old placenta , that this organ has aged and cannot fully fulfill its functions.
When the life of the placenta ends its functioning, it is affected and calcifications are formed, which can sometimes be seen on an ultrasound. But these do not always mean that it is not working well or that it is not nourishing the baby, since the placenta can continue to fulfill its function despite these calcifications.
However, aging of a placenta is normal and happens to all women who are carrying a non-premature pregnancy. There are different degrees of aging and, given the risk that the placenta is no longer performing its functions well, labor is delayed and the baby does not feed as expected, doctors may consider inducing labor.
There are some factors that could cause the placenta to age earlier, such as maternal hypertension, kidney and vascular diseases or antiphospholipid syndrome, a disease that affects the immune system and causes the maternal body to create antibodies that attack the placenta.
The placenta has the important mission of nourishing the baby
It is important that we have adequate prenatal control to monitor the development of the baby, especially at the end of pregnancy. Thus, if an old placenta is suspected, they could recommend rest or some medications that increase utero-placental blood flow and others that promote fetal development, or finally it could be considered the convenience of inducing labor if it is considered that there is risk to the baby.
In summary, the aged, old or hypermature placenta occurs when its functions of nourishing and protecting the baby are diminished because its life is lengthened by delaying the expected date of delivery or because there is some maternal anomaly that affects its correct functioning.
In Babies and more | A new study reaffirms that eating or drinking the placenta does not provide any benefit or prevent postpartum depression
