If you're pregnant, you might wonder what the placenta does and what factors can affect the placenta. Get the facts about this important fetal organ. The placenta is an organ that develops in your ...

Your labor is over! Your sweet baby is finally in your arms and the tough job of childbirth is nearly complete. All that remains is tying up the loose ends, so to speak, and this means the delivery of ...

For most people, the placenta is simply viewed as a temporary organ that supports a baby during pregnancy and is discarded after delivery. However, modern medicine has begun to recognize that the ...

Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. Another reader adds her story to the series on women’s health: My ...

Placental insufficiency is a serious condition that happens when the placenta doesn’t work as well as it should. The placenta is an organ that forms in your uterus when you’re pregnant. It carries ...

For the first time, UCLA scientists have discovered higher levels of a protein called humanin in the placenta tissue of women who give birth to severely underweight infants. This protein plays a role ...