Is it normal for the placenta to be on the right side of the uterus?

For women, the most worrying thing during pregnancy is the health of the fetus. They often go to the hospital regularly for prenatal check-ups. Among them, many women often have different placental locations due to physical reasons and different habits during pregnancy. Many women will find that the placenta is located on the right side of the uterus during prenatal check-ups, which makes them very nervous. Will this affect the fetus? Let's find out if it is normal for the placenta to be located on the right side of the uterus.

Is it normal for the placenta to be on the right side of the uterus?

The placenta is composed of the amnion, the chorionic villi (also called the dense chorionic villi) and the decidua basalis.

The amnion makes up the fetal portion of the placenta and is the innermost layer of the placenta. The amniotic membrane is smooth, has no blood vessels, nerves or lymph nodes, and has a certain degree of elasticity.

The chorionic villi make up the fetal portion of the placenta and are the main part of the placenta. When the embryo develops to 13 to 21 days, the main structure of the placenta - the villi - gradually forms. Around the third week after fertilization, when intravillous blood vessels form, fetoplacental circulation is established. The villi in contact with the basal decidua are called chorionic villi because they are rich in nutrition and well developed. The ends of the villi suspended in the intervillous space filled with maternal blood are called free villi, and those that grow into the basal decidua are called fixed villi. The villous trophoblast of the full-term placenta is mainly composed of syncytiotrophoblasts, with cytotrophoblasts only scattered around. The inner layer of the trophoblast is the basement membrane, which acts as a placental barrier.

The decidua basalis constitutes the maternal portion of the placenta. The surface of the basal decidua is covered with a layer of trophoblast cells from the fixed villi, which together with the basal decidua form the bottom of the intervillous space, called the decidual plate. From this plate, some decidual septa extend toward the chorion, dividing the maternal surface of the placenta into about 20 maternal lobes visible to the naked eye. The placental septum that grows from the decidual plate incompletely separates the fetal lobe into maternal lobes. Each maternal lobe contains several fetal lobes, and each maternal lobe has its own spiral artery to supply blood. The spiral artery of the uterus (also called the uteroplacental artery) of pregnant women passes through the decidual plate into the maternal lobe. The material exchange between mother and fetus is carried out in the villi of the fetal lobule, which means that the fetal blood goes through the umbilical artery to the villus capillaries and exchanges materials with the maternal blood in the intervillous space. The two are not directly connected.

The normal attachment position of the placenta is on the posterior wall, anterior wall, side wall or fundus of the uterine body, away from the internal os of the cervix. Therefore, it is normal for the placenta to be located on the right side of the uterus if the lower edge does not reach the internal os of the cervix. If the lower edge of the placenta reaches or covers the internal os of the uterus and is lower than the presenting part of the fetus, it is placenta previa, which is an abnormal phenomenon and one of the important causes of heavy prenatal and postpartum hemorrhage.

The above is an introduction to whether it is normal for the placenta to be located on the right side of the uterus. After understanding it, we know that women must pay special attention to physical care during pregnancy, must rest more during pregnancy, and have regular prenatal examinations. If there are any problems with the body or abnormal fetal movements, you should consult a doctor in time.