Maternal blood carrying oxygen and nutrient substrate to the placenta must be transferred to the foetal compartment and this rate of transfer is the rate limiting step in the process. Therefore the placenta has a significant blood to facilitate improved exchange. Foetal blood enters the placenta via a pair of '''umbilical arteries''' which have numerous branches resulting in '''foetal chorionic villi''' within the placenta, terminating at the '''chorionic plate'''. The foetal chorionic villi are then surrounded by maternal tissues. This physiology is referred to as "invasive decidualisation" as the fetal chorionic villi effectively invade the maternal tissues. <br /> | Maternal blood carrying oxygen and nutrient substrate to the placenta must be transferred to the foetal compartment and this rate of transfer is the rate limiting step in the process. Therefore the placenta has a significant blood to facilitate improved exchange. Foetal blood enters the placenta via a pair of '''umbilical arteries''' which have numerous branches resulting in '''foetal chorionic villi''' within the placenta, terminating at the '''chorionic plate'''. The foetal chorionic villi are then surrounded by maternal tissues. This physiology is referred to as "invasive decidualisation" as the fetal chorionic villi effectively invade the maternal tissues. <br /> |