Introduction
The placenta is the interface between mother and fetus. It secretes hormones that regulate the maternal response to pregnancy and supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, acting as a barrier to create a safe environment for its development. It is therefore highly plastic in response to insults such as malnutrition, infection and insufficient blood supply. As such the placenta has been likened to a treasure trove that stores a wealth of information on the woman, her fetus, and the pregnancy (Ananth and Elkind; 2019).
Despite the placenta’s pivotal role in pregnancy and likely effects on lifelong offspring health, it is one of the most under-researched and poorly understood organs.
One of the reasons for this is a lack of large-scale studies of human placentas drawn from a general population, with follow-up extending beyond birth. Our work aims to address this need by studying the unique archive of placentas collected as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). See Projects tab.