Placental Screenings: The Future of Prenatal Care?

The placenta, or “afterbirth,” was previously considered a simple, relatively unimportant organ. However, over time, researchers have realized that it plays a critical role not only in fetal development and maternal health during pregnancy, but also in the long-term well being of both mothers and their children. Although its importance is now generally recognized throughout the medical community, our knowledge of exactly how the placenta functions is limited. Also limited is our understanding of dangerous health issues related to placental abnormalities. What we already know about the placenta and pregnancy complications Although the placenta remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, its basic functions are known. During pregnancy, it develops from a small cluster of cells into an organ that weighs over a pound. In an article for The New York Times, Apoorva Mandavilli notes that, “It often is compared to an aggressive cancer. But a more apt metaphor might be…

Read more detail on Recent Medical Malpractice posts –

This entry was posted in Medical malpractice law and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply