Development of endocrine function in the human placenta and fetus

DB Villee - New England journal of medicine, 1969 - Mass Medical Soc
DB Villee
New England journal of medicine, 1969Mass Medical Soc
FROM the moment of conception an interplay of biochemical processes ensures the growth
and development of the fetus and its placenta. Such an interplay must function under an
intricate system of controls of which we have only limited knowledge. The efforts of many
investigators have accumulated a wealth of data relating to steroid metabolism that have
suggested a collaborative enterprise between fetus and placenta. These data are examined
in the special context of a" fetoplacental unit," and an attempt is made to place the steroid …
FROM the moment of conception an interplay of biochemical processes ensures the growth and development of the fetus and its placenta. Such an interplay must function under an intricate system of controls of which we have only limited knowledge. The efforts of many investigators have accumulated a wealth of data relating to steroid metabolism that have suggested a collaborative enterprise between fetus and placenta. These data are examined in the special context of a "fetoplacental unit," and an attempt is made to place the steroid story in perspective along with other aspects of fetal and placental endocrinology.† For the reader . . .
The New England Journal Of Medicine