Effect of smoking on the human placenta morphological and ultrastructural study

ABSTRACT

Smoking is one of the most harmful habits facing the community. Smoking causes major health problems especially in pregnant women because it is one of the causes of premature labour and low birth weight. The hazards of smoking either to the fetus or to the placenta are due to its effect on the blood vessels of the placenta. Under electron microscope the placenta of the smoking women showed vaccuolation and thick basement membrane of the trophoblast, increase in synthetical knob and also decrease in the number of microvilli of the synthetiotrophoblast. The aim of this study was to prove that smoking during pregnancy has an adverse effect on the placenta and baby and to advice pregnant women to avoid smoking during pregnancy whether active or passive