Placenta Biology, Future Cardiovascular Health, and Impact on the Maternal-Fetal Heart.

The placenta is a highly specialized organ that ensures the developing fetus gets adequate oxygen and nutrients from its mother. The placenta shares common development pathways with the fetal heart and releases factors that can influence the way the mother's heart functions. Thus, pregnancy complications, where the placenta fails to develop properly, can lead to the development of fetal heart defects and induce long-term maternal cardiac dysfunction. In this review, we focus on how the placenta shapes cardiac events during development and the subsequent long-term impact on the offspring's heart. We also touch upon the potential role the placenta plays in maternal heart function.