The role of the uterus and that of the embryo in regulating luteal progesterone secretion appear to differ greatly, depending on the mammal. However, the situation is analogous in some mammals. The main role of luteal progesterone is to permit the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and there appears to be a relationship between the type of placenta and the uterine and embryonic modes o...

The 'classical' concept that pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and pre-eclampsia (PE) primarily originate from defective placentation in early pregnancy has been challenged recently. There is growing evidence that other factors, including maternal predisposing conditions, also play a significant role in the pathophysiology of PIH and PE. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesi...

Fetal abnormalities, premature birth and impaired placentation account for more than 90% of perinatal deaths. These problems are as common today as they were more than 30 years ago and our failure to reduce their prevalence is essentially the consequence of inadequate methods of screening and lack of effective strategies for their prevention. Extensive research in the last 20 years has now esta...

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies have been associated with significantly high reproductive risks, ranging from infertility to fetal structural defects and long-term diseases. Materials and Methods: In this review we focus on the reproductive risks related to some micronutrients during the periconceptional period, a critical step in determining fetal development and health due to the poten...

How difficult is to go from egg to implanted embryo? The evolution of placentation in eutherian mammals created enormous challenges, in particular to the maternal immune system, as the fetus expresses paternal antigens that are capable of triggering immune rejection. Samstein et al. reveal a role for inducible regulatory T cells in the enforcement of maternal-fetal immune tolerance.

High temperature requirement A1 (HtrA1) is a secreted protease involved in placental development. Fibronectin (FN) is involved in important process such as wound healing, cell adhesion and spreading, growth, migration, and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to analyse the expression patterns of HtrA1 in relationship to FN and to the key growth zones of placenta such as mesenchymal v...