Placenta

The MedlinePlus encyclopedia explains that during pregnancy the placenta moves as the womb stretches and grows. It is very common for the placenta to be low in the womb in early pregnancy, but as the pregnancy continues it moves to the top of the womb, so that by the third trimester the cervix, the opening to the birth canal, is open for delivery. A pregnancy ultrasound can assess the size and placement of the placenta.

Placenta previa is a problem of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb and covers all or part of the opening to the cervix. MedlinePlus names three forms: marginal, when the placenta is next to the cervix but does not cover the opening; partial, when it covers part of the cervical opening; and complete, when it covers all of it. The main symptom is sudden bleeding from the vagina, which may be severe and life threatening, and MedlinePlus says to contact your provider right away if you have vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.

Placental insufficiency is the MedlinePlus title for a placenta that does not work as well as it should; the page lists placental dysfunction among its alternative names. Placental abruption is described on that page as premature separation of the placenta.

Placenta is spelled the same in Spanish and English. The Spanish dictionary marks it as a feminine noun, la placenta, and defines it as the organ that is the intermediary between mother and fetus during gestation, which adheres to the inner surface of the uterus and from which the umbilical cord (cordón umbilical) arises. MedlinePlus en español writes that la placenta crece durante el embarazo y alimenta al feto, and it uses both matriz and útero for the womb.

Placenta previa also keeps the same form in both languages; the Spanish dictionary has an entry for it, and MedlinePlus en español names its forms marginal, parcial and completa. Other words from that article: cuello uterino (cervix), sangrado vaginal (vaginal bleeding), trabajo de parto (labor), cesárea (C-section) and ultrasonido del embarazo (pregnancy ultrasound).