Which statement about the placenta is true?

Which statement about the placenta is true?

• A. A muscle that contracts to deliver the baby during labor
• B. Bridge between mother and offspring providing nutrients, excretory, respiratory, and endocrine organ (secretes hCG)
• C. A gland that produces insulin for glucose regulation
• D. A loose sac with no endocrine function

Answer: (B)

The placenta acts as the interface between mother and fetus, supporting fetal growth by exchanging nutrients and wastes, enabling respiration (gas exchange), and producing hormones to sustain pregnancy. Through fetal tissue in the placenta, nutrients and oxygen move from the mother’s blood to the fetus, while carbon dioxide and other wastes travel back to the mother for elimination. It also functions as an endocrine organ, secreting hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), as well as progesterone and estrogen, which help maintain the uterine lining and support pregnancy. This combination of nourishment, waste removal, gas exchange, and hormone production is why the statement describing the placenta as a bridge with these roles is true. The other options describe different structures (the uterus, the pancreas, or a nonfunctional sac) and don’t fit the placenta’s actual functions.

The placenta acts as the interface between mother and fetus, supporting fetal growth by exchanging nutrients and wastes, enabling respiration (gas exchange), and producing hormones to sustain pregnancy. Through fetal tissue in the placenta, nutrients and oxygen move from the mother’s blood to the fetus, while carbon dioxide and other wastes travel back to the mother for elimination. It also functions as an endocrine organ, secreting hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), as well as progesterone and estrogen, which help maintain the uterine lining and support pregnancy. This combination of nourishment, waste removal, gas exchange, and hormone production is why the statement describing the placenta as a bridge with these roles is true. The other options describe different structures (the uterus, the pancreas, or a nonfunctional sac) and don’t fit the placenta’s actual functions.