Ultrastructure of human placenta: effects of maternal drinking.

Previous investigations employing both animal models and human subjects have already documented that maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has definite deleterious effects upon the developing fetus. In these earlier studies, however, only gross morphological assessments were used to determine the toxicity of alcohol upon placenta and fetus. To date, there is nothing in the literature regarding the effects of alcohol upon the ultrastructure of the placenta. In our laboratory, using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy, placental specimens from mothers who drank heavily during the gestational period revealed ultrastructural abnormalities which suggest that maternal alcohol consumption may indirectly affect the fetus by altering the fine structure of the placenta.