Write the structure and functions of placenta in a human female.

i) The placenta is a disc like tissue embedded in the uterus. It has small projections called villi on its side facing the embryo and blood spaces that cover these villi on the maternal side.

ii) The main function of the placenta is to transfer the nutrients like glucose and oxygen from the mother to the embryo through these blood spaces and villi. The villi increase the surface area for the transfer of these nutrients.

iii) The placenta also acts as the tissue that transfers the waste generated by the developing embryo to the mother’s blood.