Afterbirth refers to the tissue remnants still to be discharged from the uterus after the actual birth process. These are no longer needed after the pregnancy is completed. Complications can occur if these tissue remnants are incompletely removed from the uterus.
What is the afterbirth?
Afterbirth refers to the tissue remnants that remain to be discharged from the uterus after the actual birth process. Afterbirth is made up of several components. Because the placenta usually makes up by far the largest part of the afterbirth, a distinction is often made between the placenta and the “rest” when referring to the afterbirth. After pregnancy is successfully completed with delivery, a transition of the mother’s body takes place, initiated by the expulsion of the afterbirth. During pregnancy, the placenta serves to supply the growing embryo with nutrients. It also protects it from harmful environmental influences and provides vital antibodies that the embryo itself cannot yet produce. The substances are transported between the organisms of mother and child via the umbilical cord. Thus, the placenta is no longer needed after the birth process, with which the now freshly born infant separates from the mother’s body. The afterbirth is normally delivered within the first two hours after birth. If this does not happen or if the afterbirth is only partially released, complications are to be feared.
Function and task
The afterbirth initiates a transition in the mother’s body after the pregnancy is completed. This transition is accomplished by a change in the hormone balance. The hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy are responsible, among other things, for suppressing menstruation. Furthermore, the placenta serves as a filter to protect the embryo from the influence of harmful germs and toxins. But also the absorption and processing of toxins and metabolic products excreted by the embryo is part of the task of the placenta. After the pregnancy is completed, the removal of the placenta thus brings about a significant change in the hormones acting in the mother’s body. During pregnancy, the placenta functions as a kind of additional hormone-producing organ, and after fulfilling this task, it must be excreted from the body to re-regulate the hormone balance. In this way, the body prepares for the now necessary task of feeding the baby. In addition, the afterbirth also has a cleansing effect. If, with the completion of the pregnancy, a complete detachment of the now unnecessary
tissue does not take place, complications often arise that require medical intervention. So, on the one hand, the afterbirth completes the pregnancy with the release of the placenta. On the other hand, it allows the mother’s body to slowly return to its pre-pregnancy hormonal state. The release of the placenta leads, among other things, to the resumption of menstruation at the end of pregnancy and the start of milk production. Contrary to what many pregnant women think, the detachment of the placenta after the actual birth is not just a cleansing process. On the contrary, it also has an important function for the further development of the mother’s body. Besides, the placenta is also used in modern medicine. For example, it is used as a basis for the production of drugs or as a source of stem cells. This often makes it possible to obtain stem cells in an ethically indisputable manner in many areas of application. In this way, the placenta delivered during afterbirth fulfills numerous tasks not only during pregnancy but now also in research.
Diseases and ailments
Among the most common complications associated with afterbirth is failure of the placenta to detach or to detach completely after the actual birth. For example, misplacement of the placenta can cause problems with the afterbirth. This is particularly relevant if the placenta completely or partially blocks the birth canal for various reasons. On the other hand, even if the placenta detaches regularly, there is often considerable bleeding.This is due to the fact that the remnants remaining in the uterus prevent the contraction of blood vessels. The postpartum hemorrhaging that naturally occurs as a result can be very severe and in some cases even life-threatening. For this reason, too, it is advisable to have the birth performed under medical supervision. Such complications are difficult to predict or estimate, and prompt care can often be crucial here. Under medical supervision, the missing or incomplete afterbirth is therefore usually helped with medication. In this way, the intensity of the bleeding that occurs can often be significantly reduced. The risk to the mother’s life is also significantly reduced in this way. One of the more harmless irregularities is an unusual shape of the rejected placenta. Most of these unusual shapes are harmless. Thus, a whole plethora of different appearances of the placenta is known in the medical literature. It should be noted that the unusual shape of the placenta must not impair its function. However, this problem then manifests itself in most cases already during screening examinations.
