Placental Morphology at Different Maternal Hemoglobin Levels

The growth and survival of the fetus in utero is directly related to the formation, development and maturation of placenta. Oxygen plays a significant role in the growth of placenta. Maternal anemia is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery, perinatal and maternal mortality. Many histomorphological changes occur in the placenta in case of maternal anemia including increase in area of infarct, placental weight and intervillous space along with syncytial knot hyperplasia and decrease in thickness of villous membrane. Severity of these changes is correlated with the efficiency of placenta to support the growth of a fetus. The present study was aimed to see the histopathological parameters of the placenta in maternal anemia, in both qualitative and quantitative manner.