This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Placental transfer

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The placenta selectively excludes various substances from crossing from the maternal to the fetal circulation. There is also selective transfer of material from fetus to mother. Examples are outlined below:

  • immunoglobulins - IgA and IgM are excluded from crossing the placenta. Thus IgM antibodies in the newborn indicate a response to intrauterine infection. IgG is selectively transferred across the placenta.
  • conjugated bilirubin only crosses the placenta slowly from fetus to mother. This is in contrast to transfer of unconjugated bilirubin which is rapidly transferred from fetus to mother via active transport.
  • warfarin will pass from the maternal to the fetal circulation. This is in contrast to heparin, that will not cross the placenta.
  • maternal Grave's disease can cause transient neonatal thyrotoxicosis because thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is of IgG class.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.