Morphological features of the placenta in pregnant women with excessive gestational weight gain
Study objective. To evaluate the association between the placenta and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG). Materials and methods. A prospective cohort study included the standard ultrasonography with subsequent microscopic morphology of the placenta in term pregnancy. Of 83 examined pregnant women, 46 had excessive GWG and 37 had recommended one. In addition, intensity of lipid infiltration was investigated in 24 placentas (12 in each group). Study results. Excessive GWG resulted in significant enlargement of placenta which resulted in greater neonatal weight. Ultrasonography and subsequent microscopic evaluation revealed placentas to be less efficient in case of excessive GWG. Conclusions. These findings indicated that excessive GWG influenced placental morphology. Future studies are necessary to determine accumulation of fat in placentas and membranes in case of excessive GWG, which can be defined as fatty degeneration.