how does the placenta detaches from the uterus after birth
Placental expulsion As the fetal hypothalmus matures activation of the HPA axis (hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal axis) initiates labour though two hormonal mechanisms. The end pathway of both mechanisms leads to myometrial contractions a mechanical cause of placental separation, from the shear force, contractile and involution changes in the uterus distorting the placentome.
Progesterone During human pregnancy, progesterone is produced in increasingly high amounts by the ovaries and placenta. At first, the source is the corpus luteum that has been "rescued" by the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) from the conceptus. However, after the 8th week, production of progesterone shifts to the placenta. The placenta utilizes maternal cholesterol as the initial substrate, and most of the produced progesterone enters the maternal circulation, but some is picked up by the fetal circulation and used as substrate for fetal corticosteroids. At term the placenta produces about 250Â mg progesterone per day.