Approximately five days post fertilization (dpf), the blastocyst develops. The inner cell mass gives rise to the fetus, while the surrounding trophectoderm transforms into the placenta. After ...

Researchers have found evidence that the placenta plays an important role in fetal brain development during the early stages of pregnancy. Experiments in mice show that during a key period, the ...

Scientists demonstrate the direct transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a mother to her developing child via the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. In a new study, scientists ...

Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol -- a necessary hormone for fetal development -- and this would affect the baby's development from very ...

If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of ...