Placental Bed Disorders: Basic Science and its Translation to Obstetrics

It is now recognized that defective placentation in the human is a cause of many pregnancy complications, such as spontaneous abortion, preterm labor and delivery, pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, fetal death and abruptio placenta. These clinical disorders can often have long-term consequences into adulthood, causing cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes for the newborn as well as an increased risk of premature death in the mother.