The Placenta

The placenta is the very first organ each one of us develops as we began life in the womb.  It works to sustain the growing baby right through pregnancy – acting as a lung and gut to absorb oxygen and nutrients from mother’s blood, a kidney excreting fetal wastes, and an important endocrine organ secreting hormones that change mother’s entire body to allow her to support a growing baby. This range of important roles makes the placenta one of the most fascinating organs we ever have. However, it also remains one of the least understood. This is problematic, as this placental life-support system malfunctions in around 1 in 10 pregnancies, leading to pregnancy disorders such as recurrent miscarriage, pre-eclampsia (dangerously high maternal blood pressure), fetal growth restriction (small babies), and stillbirth.  

IFPA

The International Federation of Placenta Associations (IFPA) is the international body bringing together researchers from around the globe who are passionate about working to understand the placenta in health and disease so we can give every baby a healthy start to life.  IFPA is an international “umbrella” organization comprised of four member societies; the European Placenta Group (EPG), the Placenta Association of the Americas (PAA), the Japanese Placenta Association (JPA) and the Australian New Zealand Placental Research Association (ANZPRA).

 IFPA was set up to coordinate between these regional groups, primarily to assist in organizing research conferences around the world. These meetings are designed to gather placental researchers together to present their data, to discuss their research and to develop collaborative ties.