A Review of Histomorphological Changes of Placenta in Obese Mothers

The placenta is a complex fetal organ that fulfills pleiotropic roles during fetal growth. It separates the maternal and fetal circulation, with which it is in contact through different surfaces i.e. the syncytiotrophoblast exposes the placenta to the maternal circulation and the endothelium is in contact with fetal blood. During pregnancy, obese women are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome of pregnancy i.e. gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia. Recent studies have demonstrated a heightened inflammatory response both systemically and locally within the adipose and placental tissue in women with pre-gravid obesity which may play a role in mediating the adverse pregnancy outcomes. This review will focus on evidence from human studies to describe histomorphological changes in placenta during pregnancy in obese patients and to summarize our current knowledge of the implication; this may have short and long-term outcomes for offspring of obese mothers.