Pretty much everyone knows that the placenta is the organ responsible for providing an unborn baby with oxygen and nutrients. It fixes to the lining of the uterus and the umbilical cord joins the organ to the developing fetus. After the baby is born, the placenta detaches from the lining and comes out as afterbirth.

How does the placenta form?

When an ovum is fertilized, the embryo cells start to divide and multiply into more and more cells. These cells then split into two sections: one becomes the baby and the other becomes the placenta. Both parts are essential for your pregnancy to evolve properly.

What does the placenta look like?

The placenta actually resembles a liver in appearance. It is full of blood vessels that receive all the nutrients and oxygen that the baby requires and passes them along to the developing body through the attached umbilical cord. All of this rich blood gives the placenta a dark color.

What is the grading of the placenta?

The placenta is graded on a scale of 0 to 3. The point of this system is to measure the maturity of the placenta and ensure that it is operating properly throughout your pregnancy. The grade will indicate how calcified the placenta has become and whether or not it is able to supply the required oxygen and nutrients to the baby.

Grade 0 is the status of the brand new placenta, and grade 3 is an aged placenta that is usually only seen in the last couple of weeks of a pregnancy. Generally, the placenta will stay at grade 0 for the majority of your pregnancy and then go up to grade 1 at around week 30, grade 2 at around week 36 and then to grade 3 right at the end.

There is no definitive rule as to when the placenta will reach the grades though. There have been many cases where women have been at grade 2 from as early as week 28. Your doctor will monitor your pregnancy very closely in these cases to ensure that your baby is growing and developing properly despite the compromised placenta.

A fully mature or grade 3 placenta is still able to supply your baby with oxygen and nutrients. It just might not be as efficient as it was at grades 0 or 1.

WARNING: For those who don’t like blood, the below video shows a normal placenta that has come out after the woman gave birth.

As the placenta matures, the amniotic fluid levels can change too. Your doctor will also check the level of fluid inside the gestational sac to ensure that it is still at a suitable level to maintain your baby.

Can a mature placenta lead to early delivery?

The actual grade of the placenta will not specifically lead to your baby being born early. In some cases, when a grade 3 placenta isn’t supplying enough nourishment to the baby, labor may be induced or you may undergo a caesarian. Your doctor will analyze the risk to your baby if it stays in the womb compared to any risks or potential complications if it is born now.

Readers’ questions:

I’m at 34 weeks and my placenta is at grade 3. Are there risks to my baby?

Your doctor will have to analyze your specific case in order to work out if there are any risks to your baby. They will use an ultrasound to check if your baby is at the proper stage of growth and development for 34 weeks. This will help them to assess if your baby is getting sufficient oxygen and nutrients. A Doppler ultrasound will also show how well the blood vessels in the placenta and umbilical cord are working.

I’m at 37 weeks and my placenta is still at grade 1. Is this a problem?

On the contrary, this means that your placenta is still working well. The lower the grade, the less mature it is and the better it is able to nourish your baby. It is important to note that the lower the grade of the placenta the closer you are to your due date, the more likely your pregnancy is to be extended. You may find that you go to 42 weeks before going into labor.

What is a thick placenta?

The more mature your placenta gets, the thicker it usually becomes. This is due to the calcification that occurs in the blood vessels. It is not something to worry about specifically, unless your placenta is no longer able to supply your baby with sufficient nutrients and oxygen.