Placental development and function in women with a history of placenta-related complications

Introduction: Women with a history of placenta-related pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction or preterm delivery, have an increased risk for recurrence of such complications. This recurrence is likely the result of underlying endothelial dysfunction that leads to abnormal placentation, especially in complications with an early onset. This study provides an overview of biomarkers of placental development and function in pregnancies from women with a history of placenta-related complications.
Material and methods: A systematic literature search was conducted limited to human studies and including keywords related to a history of placenta-related complications and markers of placental development and function. Two independent reviewers assessed eligibility and quality of 1553 retrieved unique articles.
Results: Five articles reporting on placental development and function in women with an obstetric history of preeclampsia (n = 3), intrauterine growth restriction (n = 1) and preterm delivery (n = 2) were eligible for quality assessment. We identified associations between a history of preeclampsia and abnormal placental histological findings at term in the current pregnancy, but found contradictory results regarding presence of uterine artery notching. In women with a history of very preterm delivery (<32 weeks), one study showed associations with abnormal placental histology.
Conclusion: Literature on the association between a history of placenta-related complications and placental development and function in subsequent pregnancies is scarce and studies are heterogeneous. However, literature shows that placenta-related pregnancy complications are associated with subsequent placental histology.