Which term best describes the organ that forms to support fetal development and exchange nutrients with the mother?

• A. Infertility
• B. Morula
• C. Placenta
• D. Ovulation

Answer: (C)

The placenta is the organ that forms to support fetal development and exchange nutrients with the mother. It develops after implantation and consists of fetal tissue (chorionic villi) embedded in the maternal uterine lining. Through this structure, nutrients and oxygen move from mother to fetus and waste products move in the opposite direction, with the maternal and fetal blood supplies kept mostly separate. The placenta also acts as an endocrine organ, producing hormones that help maintain pregnancy. The other terms don’t describe this function: infertility is the difficulty conceiving, the morula is an early embryonic cell cluster, and ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary.