ABSTRACT
The placenta is a temporary but advanced organ with respiratory, nutritional, and endocrine functions. It controls the developmental conditions of the fetus by securing the supply of oxygen and nutrients and by partially shielding the fetus from exposure to compounds with potentially adverse effects. An important part of the placental endocrine properties is to modify maternal physiology in a way that supports fetal nutritional needs. However, the placenta itself is also under metabolic and endocrine inuence both from the mother and the fetus. The increasing interest in the placenta is largely a result of the current understanding of the inuence of fetal development conditions on the future health of the newborn.
