Fetal Developmental Question
Fetal Developmental Question
Fetal Developmental Question
a. Label A and B
b. The diagram below shows a sperm cell.
Answer
Functions of Placenta
Nutrition: Placenta helps to transport nutrients from maternal blood into foetus
Respiration: It helps in getting oxygen from the maternal blood into the foetus and
CO2 from foetus blood into the maternal blood.
Excretion: Nitrogenous waste products produced in the embryo diffuse through the
placenta into the maternal blood stream.
Immunity: Antibodies developed in the mother against certain diseases like measles,
small pox, diphtheria pass from mother into the foetal blood through the placenta.
Transport of pathogens: Pathogenic organisms like viruses diffuses through the
placenta. Viruses causing syphilis, measles, rubella, small pox may infect the foetus, if
the mother gets the disease during pregnancy. Some of these diseases may even cause
congenital deformities
Transport of drugs: Some of the drugs taken by the mother during pregnancy cross the
placental barrier and may even cause developmental deformities. E.g., The drug
thalidomide used to avoid nausea and morning sickness during early pregnancy by
some women resulted in the child born to such mothers to have deformities in the
limb development and heart. The children had flipper like limbs, a condition called as
phocomelia. Children born to drug addicts, are born with addiction and withdrawal
symptoms.
Storage: Placenta stores some fats, glycogen and iron.
Endocrine Function. Placenta secretes some hormones such as oestrogens,
progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human chorionic
somatomammotropin— hCS (it was formerly known as human placental lactogen—
hPL), chorionic thyrotropin, chorionic corticotropin and relaxin.
o The hCG stimulates and maintains the corpus luteum to secrete progesterone
until the end of pregnancy.
o The hCS stimulates the growth of the mammary glands during pregnancy.
o Relaxin facilitates parturition (act of birth) by softening the connective tissue
of the pubic symphysis.