Placenta Is God's Extraordinary Creation
Placenta Is God's Extraordinary Creation
By: dr. Yasmini Fitriyati, Sp.OG
Seeing line 2 when there is a delay in menstruation is always the most thrilling time for a woman. One mandate that Allah has placed in him with all the dynamics that will be lived through a period full of struggles. Begin to feel nauseous approaching when HCG levels begin to rise until the gestational age reaches about 100 days. The size of the uterus slowly increases as the fetus grows each day until the fetus is ready to be born later. And existing systems are growing swiftly to adapt. Breathing work, heart rate, blood flow, kidney work function, digestion and every part of the body without exception all experience changes to adjust the dynamics that occur in order to keep the fetus in the womb able to survive and have all its needs met.
Allah is the Supreme Architect who designs all the complexities that exist without gaps. All systems are running great. In the womb, which was originally only the size of a chicken egg, it is able to accommodate and adjust the fetus which grows and develops every day until it is ready to be born as a small individual who will be able to live and develop further in the outside world. As the word of Allah in QS. Ar-Rad verse 8:
“Allah knows what every woman contains, what is lacking and what is growing in the womb. And everything has a measure with Him. (QS. Ar-Ra'd: 8)
See how a cell that was originally just a zygote can become a baby that is so perfect with all its features. Fat tissue, articular cartilage, biliary system, blood, bone, bone marrow, heart, kidney, liver, lung, bronchi, bronchioles, nervous system, pancreas, skeletal muscle, skin, small intestine, stomach, adrenal gland, thyroid, blood vessels . The estimated number of cells in the body, if calculated, is 3,72 x 10 in total13. And this all processes in the womb of a mother.
The placenta is the link between the two. The placenta is shaped like a disc. At term the placenta weighs about 500 g, is 15-20 cm in diameter, about 2-3 cm in thickness, and has a surface area of nearly 15 μm.2. The basic structural unit is the chorionic villi, which are composed of the syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast.
Placental functions include gas exchange, metabolic transfer, hormone secretion, and protection of the fetus. Transfer of nutrients and drugs across the placenta is through the processes of passive diffusion, facilitated diffusion, active transport, and pinocytosis. Drug transfer across the placenta will be influenced by the pharmacological properties of the drug and the physical properties of the placental membrane.
However, human knowledge about the placenta is still very limited. The structure and function of the placenta are thought to affect the health of the mother and fetus, such as in the case of preeclampsia and complications that occur afterward, IUGR fetuses, to non-communicable diseases that later occur as adults. Understanding the placenta can be a key to determining preventive and therapeutic interventions that will have a lifelong impact.
Abnormalities of the structure and function of the placenta can cause disturbances in pregnancy, and have an impact on the long-term health and illness of the mother and child. If prevention of placental disorders and placenta-related therapies can be implemented, not only the outcome of the pregnancy will be affected, but also the lifelong health of the mother and child.
Recent data indicate that the placenta is suspected of having an effect on transgeneration. If the diseases that occur related to problems with the placenta can be controlled then the health problems that occur in the mother and the baby being born can be reduced.
Hopefully more research related to the placenta can be carried out, to explore further the meaning of the creation of the placenta for the continuation of life.