Time for some more myth busting! This is something which has been said to a client repeatedly this week. She’s not even 40 weeks yet and has been recommended induction and sweeps more than once, with the “aging placenta” myth being used as an excuse amongst others.
One of the common statements used to coerce people in to an induction is that their placenta is aging and stops working effectively after 40 weeks. This assertion comes from an obstetrician in 1902 who concluded that a placental ”wasting condition” was responsible for the death of newborns. This and the opinion of another obstetrician, Runge, in 1958, led to the belief that the length of pregnancy affected the function of the placenta, despite this being theoretical and having no research backing this opinion.
Swipe below to read what the experts actually say about the concept of the aging placenta. You can read Sophie Messager’s informative article here: https://sophiemessager.com/the-myth-of-the-ageing-placenta/ which contains links to reliable sources of information as well as analysis of the research.