ABSTRACT
Background: The placenta is a dynamic organ to maintain the fetal homeostasis by performing a wide range ofphysiological functions. It undergoes various changes in terms of shape, size, surface area and structure duringpregnancy to support growth of the fetus. The efficiency in transfer of nutrients and oxygen through the placentais the primary determinant of birth weight.Detailed study of placenta gives a wide scope of knowledge on fetalgrowth. This study has attempted to find the correlation between umbilical cord length with birthweight and fetallength along with the correlation between other placental parameters and fetal parameters.Materials and methods: The placentas required for this study were collected from the labor room. After thoroughinspection of the placenta, shape and presence of any anomalies were noted and then the size of the placenta,which includes weight, thickness and diameter were measured. The length of the umbilical cord was measuredwith a tape calibrated in centimeters from cut end to placental end and also from cut end to fetal end. Summationof these two values gave the total length of the umbilical cord. The fetal parameters like birth weight wasmeasured by using a digital weighing machine, while the crown-heel length was measured with the help of aninfantometer.Results: 35% of placentas are round shape and 65% are of oval shape. Mean ± SD of placenta weight is 458±49.5gm,umbilical cord length is 56.2 ± 3.2cm, birth weight is 2.4 ± 0.4kg and crown-heel length is 45.8 ± 4.2cm.Conclusion: A significant relation was found between placenta size and birth weight. A non-significant relationwas found between umbilical cord length and birth weight along with umbilical cord length and crown heellength.