The trophoblast begins to develop early in pregnancy.
Trophoblast is a notion that refers to the set of cells that make up the outer layer of the blastocyst (a state of embryogenesis ; that is, the growth of the embryo) and that is an integral part of what will later be the placenta . The trophoblast, which begins to form in the early stages of pregnancy, is responsible for providing nutritional substances to the embryo.
Various types of placental cells form the trophoblast, which is responsible for enabling the embryo to implant in the endometrium of the uterus . When it is time to give birth, the woman and her child reject the trophoblast through an immunological process. The trophoblast, however, is usually visible as a kind of membrane that covers the newborn.
The inner layer of the trophoblast, classified as unicellular , is known as the citrotrophoblast , although it can also be called the Langhans layer . This layer allows the embryonic chorion to attach to the endometrium.
Hormone secreted by the trophoblast
It is important to note that a hormone secreted by the trophoblast provides the possibility of detecting a woman's pregnancy through blood or urine tests . This hormone, key to the development of pregnancy, is secreted by the outer layer of the trophoblast, which is called the syncytiotrophoblast .
This is in direct contact with the mother's blood and has the peculiarity that it is responsible for covering the entire surface of the placenta. It performs a very important function since it facilitates the exchange of nutrients between the woman and her baby, as well as gases and waste.
A hormone secreted by the trophoblast allows pregnancy to be confirmed through a urine or blood test.
a biopsy
During pregnancy, the doctor may order a trophoblast study to analyze the status of the fetus. Trophoblast biopsy , in this sense, consists of taking a tissue sample to examine it in a laboratory . This study makes it possible to discover chromosomal disorders or a disease in the genes, for example.
From this aforementioned biopsy it is necessary to know another series of data of interest:
- It is performed using a relevant ultrasound.
- It can be carried out from two months of pregnancy.
- It can be developed through two different techniques: through the vagina or through extraction through the abdomen.
- Sometimes, it is necessary to apply local anesthesia to the pregnant woman so that this action, which lasts a few minutes and in which no type of liquid is extracted, is not bothersome.
- There are several advantages to using this method and not another. Specifically, it is praised that it can be performed at very early stages of pregnancy and that it gives very accurate results.
- However, it is also true that this trophoblast biopsy poses a higher risk than in amniocentesis with respect to the woman suffering a spontaneous abortion.
It must also be emphasized that there is what is known as gestational trophoblastic disease , which alters the tissue that will later become the placenta. This can be of various types, such as the so-called molar pregnancy .