Placenta Clinic
The Placenta Clinic is dedicated to advancing health care of pregnant women and their babies.
Aims of the Placenta Clinic
- Provide multidisciplinary care to pregnant women with placental complications of pregnancy and non-pregnant women seeking counselling, with a history of pregnancies complicated by placental dysfunction;
- Foster research into the prevention and treatment of placentally-mediated complications of pregnancy;
- Provide a link to basic researchers studying placental development and pathology at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital;
- Network with other health care centres to improve the effectiveness of available antenatal care for women with complicated pregnancies.
The most common group of conditions that result in the referral to the Placenta Clinic are those believed to be due to placental insufficiency, including:
- Poor growth of the developing baby (intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR])
- High blood pressure (hypertension in pregnancy or pre-eclampsia)
- Premature separation of the placenta (abruption)
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
These placental complications of pregnancy are important because, as a group, they are a common cause of premature birth.
Pregnancy in the News
- Life support: Article in Science News featuring Dr. Kingdom discusses the current state of research into pregnancy complications and what can be done to help women at risk of developing them. Click here to read more!
- Bacteria linked to premature birth: Studies show that bacteria are linked to premature birth. Click here to read more!
- Babies’ weak immune systems let good bacteria in: Babies’ early lack of strong immunity lets the “good” bacteria colonize the gut. Read more here!
- Why so soon?: Scientists are trying to find the causes for premature birth and understand the mechanisms of preterm labour. Click here for an updated review of progress so far.
- Youngest preemies at high risk of neurodevelopmental problems later on: Studies assess the risk of neurological damage in premature babies. Click here to find out more.
- Older moms face more pregnancy complications: This CBC News article, quoting Dr. John Kingdom, discusses the risks associated with pregnancy in older women. Read the full story here.