Patient's question:
When I had my prenatal check-up, I noticed that the ultrasound report also included a measurement of the placental thickness. I am currently 19 weeks pregnant and don't know what the normal value should be.Doctor's answer:
At 19 weeks of pregnancy, the normal thickness of the placenta is generally around 20 millimeters. The thickness of the placenta has standards, and this thickness varies at different stages of pregnancy. In the early stages, it increases as the gestational age progresses, meaning that the thickness of the placenta corresponds to the number of weeks of pregnancy. In the late stages of pregnancy, the thickness of the placenta typically changes from thick to thin. When the placenta becomes thinner in the late stages, it cannot provide the fetus with more nutrients. When the baby is born, the thickness of the placenta is less than 5 cm. The thickness range of the placenta is 2.5-3.8 cm. If the thickness exceeds this range, it indicates that the placenta is too thick, and medical examination is necessary to determine the cause.