Why is the mother's nutrition status of importance during the time the placenta is developing?


The placenta is both a supply depot and a waste-removal system for the fetus. If the placenta works perfectly, the fetus wants for nothing; if it doesn't, no alternative source of sustenance is available, and the fetus will fail to thrive. If the mother's nutrient stores are inadequate during placental development, no amount of nutrients later on in pregnancy can make up for the lack. If the placenta fails to form or function properly, the fetus will not receive optimal nourishment. After getting such a poor start on life, the child may be ill equipped, even as an adult, to store sufficient nutrients, and a girl may later be unable to grow an adequate placenta or bear healthy full-term infants.

Nutritional Science

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