Evidence of Placental Aging in Late SGA, Fetal Growth Restriction and Stillbirth—A Systematic Review
Anna Kajdy,
Dorota Sys,
Jan Modzelewski,
Joanna Bogusławska,
Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska,
Ewa Kwiatkowska,
Magdalena Bednarek-Jędrzejek,
Dariusz Borowski,
Katarzyna Stefańska,
Michał Rabijewski,
Arkadiusz Baran,
Andrzej Torbe,
Stepan Feduniw,
Sebastian Kwiatkowski
Affiliations
Anna Kajdy
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Dorota Sys
Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-828 Warsaw, Poland
Jan Modzelewski
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Bogusławska
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska
Department of Gynecological Surgery and Gynecological Oncology of Adults and Adolescents, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Ewa Kwiatkowska
Department of Nephrology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Magdalena Bednarek-Jędrzejek
Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Dariusz Borowski
Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Provincial Combined Hospital in Kielce, 25-736 Kielce, Poland
Katarzyna Stefańska
Department of Obstetrics, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland
Michał Rabijewski
Department of Reproductive Health, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Żelazna 90 St., 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Arkadiusz Baran
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Andrzej Torbe
Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
Stepan Feduniw
Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zürich, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
Sebastian Kwiatkowski
Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland
During pregnancy, the placenta undergoes a natural aging process, which is considered normal. However, it has been hypothesized that an abnormally accelerated and premature aging of the placenta may contribute to placenta-related health issues. Placental senescence has been linked to several obstetric complications, including abnormal fetal growth, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and stillbirth, with stillbirth being the most challenging. A systematic search was conducted on Pubmed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Twenty-two full-text articles were identified for the final synthesis. Of these, 15 presented original research and 7 presented narrative reviews. There is a paucity of evidence in the literature on the role of placental aging in late small for gestational age (SGA), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and stillbirth. For future research, guidelines for both planning and reporting research must be implemented. The inclusion criteria should include clear differentiation between early and late SGA and FGR. As for stillbirths, only those with no other known cause of stillbirth should be included in the studies. This means excluding stillbirths due to congenital defects, infections, placental abruption, and maternal conditions affecting feto-maternal hemodynamics.
