Calcifications of the Placenta: What Are They,
Do They Matter?
"Many women are told their placentas
are calcifying, thereby increasing the chances
of poor outcomes in postdates pregnancies...
crappola. Why would the good Lord in Heaven
invent baby heart, lungs, thyroid, adrenals
and other organs that function just fine and
make a mistake on the placenta? I've seen lots
of calcified placentas- so what? They work just
fine." -Gloria
Lemay, private birth attendant
From Judy Bradley, student midwife: According
to Varney's Midwifery: "developing
a reasonable amount of these degenerative changes
(infarct formation and small calcifications) is
a normal part of the aging process of the placenta."
Also, "Degenerative changes in the placenta
are normally observed as infarcts. These are hard,
nodular, whitish areas, which may be found on
either the maternal or the fetal surface, or both.
The vary in size from a few mm to several cm.
Frequently small calcifications are also observed
on the maternal surface of the placenta. These
feel gritty to touch and normally may be spread
all over the maternal surface to a moderate degree."
3rd edition (most recent) page 835.
Now, one page over says this, "Extensive
infarction of entire cotyledons (placenta) is
abnormal and is usually the result of disease
processes such as severe chronic maternal hypertension
or severe preeclampsia or eclampsia. Such extensive
infarcting reduces effective placental functioning
which may result in intrauterine growth retardation
or (if a substantial portion of the placenta is
infarcted) fetal death."
More about calcification from Anne Frye in Holistic
Midwifery:
"While postmaturity has been commonly blamed
on placental insufficiency, and felt to be the
result of infarcts (dead spaces) and calcifications,
these problems by themselves are not such a problem
if blood flow to the placenta is adequate. The
fact that the villous surface of the placenta
expands right up until birth means that the placenta
does not "get old" in the way it has
been thought and that any improvements the mother
makes which increase blood flow to the placenta
(improving her diet, quitting smoking, etc.) will
benefit the pregnancy right up until the end.
Many mainstream practitioners encourage women
to take antacids (especially Tums) to relieve
heartburn, feeling that they will get an "added
benefit" because these products contain calcium.
However, this calcium is not well assimilated,
as is frequently apparent from looking at the
placenta after birth. If an excessive amount has
been taken, the placenta may be full of calcifications.
Poorly assimilated supplements, hard (mineralized)
drinking water or smoking can also cause excessive
placental calcifications." -Page 879
Here's what Myles Textbook for Midwives, 13th
edition (most recent) has to say, parenthesis
not mine:
"Recent infarctions (areas on the placenta
surface that indicate deprivation of blood supply)
are bright red, old infarctions form gray patches
whereas localized calcification can be seen as
flattened white plaques feeling gritty to the
touch. (None of these is of great significance
at this stage, but may provide retrospective evidence
of an intrauterine problem). Page 476-477
So, according to Varney's, it's normal to have
some calcium deposits on your placenta. It's only
when you are suffering from something serious
yourself that your placenta is affected to the
extent that it effects your baby.
-Judy Bradley, AAMI Student Midwife
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