An expectant mother who is expecting a baby during pregnancy may face various diagnoses that can really scare her. One of them is placental hypoplasia.
This article will help expectant mothers to understand what it is, what are the reasons for the appearance of this pathology and what the consequences may be.
What it is?
An underdeveloped organ is called hypoplasia. This condition is characterized by a decrease in weight, diameter and thickness. Also, doctors often call such a placenta "thin", emphasizing that with hypoplasia, the thickness of the placental tissue also changes significantly.
Doctors identify several clinical variants of this condition.
- Primary hypoplasia. It is associated with the initially disturbed process of implantation of a fertilized egg to the uterine wall due to certain reasons. In this situation, from the very first days of pregnancy, the placental tissue is small. The functioning of the organ is usually impaired.
- Secondary hypoplasia. In this case, the initial formation of placental tissue was correct, and all changes appeared only later. Adverse symptoms in secondary hypoplasia appear, as a rule, not at the earliest stages, but already in the second half of pregnancy.
Causes
Scientists identify several groups of causative factors that can contribute to the development of placental tissue hypoplasia. In each case, the reasons that contribute to the appearance of this pathology are individual.
Genetics
In primary hypoplasia of the placenta, doctors talk about the possible presence of genetic causes, which can also lead to various diseases in the fetus. In some cases, the impact of such causes leads to the development of combined pathologies. So, in addition to the formation of placental hypoplasia, defects in the structure of the umbilical cord, as well as various anomalies of the fetal body, can develop.
Women who have a family history of genetic diseases should always consult with a geneticist for the likelihood of developing such pathologies during pregnancy.
It is better to do this even at the stage of preparation for conceiving a baby. Also, if necessary, it may be required to pass several laboratory genetic tests.
Impact of external factors
These factors usually act already during the formation of the placenta. It should be noted that the placental tissue is quite sensitive to the effects of aggressive environmental factors. If the expectant mother has any concomitant diseases or a sharply weakened immune system, then the impact of external factors on the actively forming placenta can be extremely negative.
The consequences of various transferred bacterial, viral or fungal infections can also lead to the development of hypoplasia. The inflammatory process, which develops in the body of a pregnant woman as a result of infection, affects the formation of placental tissue, leading to a possible violation of its development. In this case, as a rule, the placenta begins to develop slowly, and its full functioning is disrupted.
Vascular pathology
The presence of arterial hypertension in a pregnant woman is an aggravating factor that threatens the development of placental hypoplasia. It is especially unfavorable if, during pregnancy, the expectant mother develops gestosis. The course of pregnancy in this case is significantly aggravated by the possible development of a variety of adverse symptoms.
With gestosis and persistent arterial hypertension (high blood pressure), damage to the walls of blood vessels occurs. This condition during the formation of the placenta is very dangerous, as it affects the speed and intensity of the development of placental tissue. Too long an increase in blood pressure also contributes to the fact that the placenta ceases to perform its functions.
Vascular pathologies that affect the possible formation of placental hypoplasia also include:
- various vasculitis;
- atherosclerosis;
- autoimmune pathologies with a vascular component;
- congenital anomalies in the development of connective tissue.
Diagnostics
Reveal placental hypoplasia during pregnancy is possible with modern ultrasound diagnostic methods. Usually, with this pathology, ultrasound is performed several times during pregnancy. This allows doctors to track how much the thickness of the placenta changes during pregnancy.
If doctors need to clarify the intensity of the uteroplacental blood flow, then they also prescribe Doppler sonography. Using this method, it is also possible to indirectly assess how well nutrients and oxygen enter the child's body. Doppler ultrasound, like ultrasound, is usually prescribed over time.
In practice, there are cases when placental hypoplasia is diagnosed only at 30-32 weeks of pregnancy. Such a "find" leads to the fact that the expectant mother is closely monitored by a doctor.
With hypoplasia of the placenta, doctors must necessarily assess the general condition of the baby in the mother's womb. For this, experts calculate the heart rate and assess the motor activity of the fetus.
Effects
Pregnancy complicated by placental hypoplasia can occur with the development of various adverse symptoms. This condition can lead to the development of placental insufficiency. With this pathology, the uteroplacental blood flow is disturbed, which leads to impaired growth and development of the fetus.
Violation of the course of intrauterine development of the fetus can lead to the fact that various anomalies begin to form in the child's body. If the oxygen deficiency in a child is pronounced, then this can even lead to premature birth.
Prolonged intrauterine hypoxia contributes to the fact that the fetus may develop developmental delay syndrome. Children who develop more slowly tend to have less birth weight and may also have a number of congenital abnormalities. Complications that can develop with placenta hypoplasia largely depend on the concomitant pathologies that a pregnant woman has. So, if the underdevelopment of the placenta is accompanied by gestosis, then in this case, the expectant mother may develop pathologies of the kidneys and blood vessels.
Placental hypoplasia can also contribute to various blood clotting disorders. In this case, the risk of developing thrombotic complications is high. An extremely dangerous complication is the development of thrombosis. In this case, an urgent prescription of drug therapy is required.
In the treatment of placental hypoplasia, agents that improve uteroplacental blood flow are usually used. If necessary, drugs are also prescribed that affect blood clotting. Usually, vascular drugs are prescribed for a long time.
Their effectiveness can be assessed by performing ultrasound, which are carried out in dynamics. Also an important goal of therapy for placental hypoplasia is the normalization of the general condition of the fetus.
For what the placenta is and what functions it performs, see the next video.
