English Ukrainian
Experemental medicine

MORPHOMETRIC AND HISTOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES OF FULL-TERM HUMAN PLACENTAS DEPENDING ON THE SEX OF THE CHILD

Published 2026-09-30

Authors:

Gurbanova S.G.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2307-5820
Isayev O.R.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9673-7458
Akhundova N.E.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1346-2389
Aliyarbayova A.A.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0887-3132
Aliyeva G.N.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8614-3015
Aliyeva Sh.E.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3833-5668
Hagverdiyeva R.R.
Azerbaijan Medical University image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5394-8749
Abstract:
A prospective microscopic and statistical analysis of full-term placental tissue samples and macroscopic parameters obtained from 20 healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies (10 male placentas and 10 female placentas) was performed. Conventional tissue treatment, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and standard descriptive statistical estimates were used to assess placental size, thickness, weight, overall villous architecture, microvessel structure, and stromal cell distribution. Descriptive statistics demonstrated baseline physical variations: mean placental dimensions were 21.2±1.3 cm for male placentas and 20.0±1.5 cm for female placentas; thickness averaged 2.50±0.47 cm in males versus 2.52±0.27 cm in females; and mean weight was 499.9±45.0 g for male cohorts compared to 474.6±31.0 g for female cohorts. Histological evaluations showed mature villous architecture in both groups. Normal term placentas from this cohort display subtle morphometric and microvascular variations associated with fetal sex, specifically regarding weight tendencies and capillary caliber.
Keywords:
placenta histology mesenchymal stromal cells microvasculature fetal sex
References:
  1. Al-Qraghouli M, Al-Attar N. Morphometric and Histological Study of Human Term Placenta in Normal Pregnancies. Iraqi Journal of Medical Sciences. 2019; 17(2): 140-148. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.17.2.6.
  2. Barwari SS. Histological Evaluation of Placentas in Idiopathic Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Cureus. 2024 Oct 31;16(10):e72789. doi: 10.7759/cureus.72789.
  3. Burton GJ, Fowden AL. The placenta: a memory for life? Journal of Physiology. 2015; 593(24): 5221-5233. doi: 10.1113/JP270385.
  4. Dahlstrom JE, Subramaniam A, Faye-Petersen OM. Maternal Vascular Malperfusion and Associated Maternal Diseases. In: Baergen, R.N., Burton, G.J., Kaplan, C.G. (eds) Benirschke's Pathology of the Human Placenta. Springer, Cham. 2021; 507-554. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-99166-1_15.
  5. Ghani N, Yadav K. Comparative Study on Macroscopic Morphology of Human Placenta in Preterm, Term & Post Term Pregnancy. International Multispecialty Journal of Health. 2018; 4(4): 109-114. doi: 10.31143/imjh.2018.v4.i4.109.
  6. Ilekis JV, Tsilou E, Fisher S, Abrahams VM, Soares MJ, Cross JC, et al. Placental origins of adverse pregnancy outcomes: potential molecular targets: an Executive Workshop Summary of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2016; 215(1): S1-S46. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.001.
  7. John MK, Sampson U, Sreedharan R. Placental Morphometry in Preterm and Term Neonates and its Association with their Birth Weights. Int J Anat Appl Physiol. 2020; 6(4): 152-155. doi: 10.19070/2572-7451-2000028.
  8. Karmakar M, Kumar S, Chattopadhyay S, Kar S, Vaid L, Sen S. A study on the morphology and the morphometry of the human placenta and its clinical significance in rural population in Eastern India. Asian Pacific Journal of Health Science. 2018; 5(3): 202-209. doi: 10.21276/apjhs.2018.5.3.31.
  9. Melbourne A, Aughwane R, Sokolska M, Owen D, Kendall G, Flouri D, et al. Separating fetal and maternal placenta circulations using multiparametric MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2019 Jan;81(1):350-361. doi: 10.1002/mrm.27406.
  10. O'Connor BB, Pope BD, Peters MM, Ris-Stalpers C, Parker KK. The role of extracellular matrix in normal and pathological pregnancy: Future applications of microphysiological systems in reproductive medicine. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2020 Jul;245(13):1163-1174. doi: 10.1177/1535370220938741.
  11. Salafia CM, Yampolsky M, Misra DP, Shlakhter O, Haas D, Eucker B, et al. Placental surface shape, function, and effects on fetal growth. Placenta. 2018; 68: 23-29. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2018.06.305.
  12. Sgarbosa F, Silveira C, Silva MG, Ribeiro-Silva A. Quantitative Histological Evaluation of Term Placenta and Microvascular Architecture. Pathology - Research and Practice. 2021; 223: 153472. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2021.153472.
  13. Staud F, Karahoda R. Trophoblast: The central unit of fetal growth, protection and programming. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 2018; 105: 35-40. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2018.09.014.
  14. Sun C, Groom KM, Oyston C, Chamley LW, Clark AR, James JL. The placenta in fetal growth restriction: what is going wrong? Placenta. 2020; 96: 10-18. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2020.05.003.
  15. Vambergue A, Fajardy I. Consequences of gestational diabetes mellitus on placenta: the impact of sexual dimorphism. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2022; 13: 869226. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.869226.
Publication:
«World of Medicine and Biology» Vol. 22 No. 97 (2026), pp. 181-184
UDC 611.018.54:618.33-076:612.661
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26724/2079-8334-2026-3-97-181-184