Measure the Placenta

Measure the Placenta Our mission is to share info about placenta size as a risk factor to potentially prevent stillbirth

Some of the Measure the Placenta team were able to attend the Changemakers Luncheon today in Des Moines, IA. It was a w...
04/21/2026

Some of the Measure the Placenta team were able to attend the Changemakers Luncheon today in Des Moines, IA. It was a wonderful event highlighting stillbirth prevention efforts and fundraising to continue to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Grateful for all the Changemakers out there who are pushing along with us! |

04/16/2026

Placenta Health Awareness Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role of the placenta in healthy pregnancies and stillbirth prevention.

June 1 (6/1) reflects the ideal term fetal–placental weight ratio of 6:1, a simple but powerful reminder of the placenta’s critical role in fetal growth and pregnancy outcomes.

More details to come for how you can join us for this inaugural event!

04/14/2026

Every baby and pregnant patient should get nothing but the best of care.

Measuring and tracking the volume of the placenta should be standard of care in order to flag babies who have at-risk placenta sizes, which are tied to many adverse outcomes, including stillbirth.

By elevating our prenatal care standards, we can improve pregnancy and birth outcomes. Let’s start with one of the tools in the toolbox-EPV! Estimated placental volume can be used to calculate the percentile size of a placenta on any standard 2D ultrasound making it an accessible and non-invasive tool!

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳 |

MTP is exhibiting at the The Midwest Society of Diagnostic Ultrasound’s 44th Annual Spring Seminar in Minneapolis. Hundr...
04/11/2026

MTP is exhibiting at the The Midwest Society of Diagnostic Ultrasound’s 44th Annual Spring Seminar in Minneapolis. Hundreds of sonographers, students, and educators throughout the Midwest attend.

Alicia and Amanda have heard various comments so far along these lines:
“This is awesome you guys are looking into this.”
“We like to be reactive not proactive.” - pay attention to placenta size before something bad happens.

We are learning that Siemens, Samsung, GE and Phillips have Estimated Placental Volume capabilities in their machines, so be sure to ask your sonographer. We would love to see the percentile calculation added. Until then, download the free Merwin’s EPV Calculator app to help your care team interpret the measurements. 🌳

Measure. Track. Prevent.

|

04/10/2026

MTP leaders recently met with Dr. Nickie Andescavage, a NICU neonatologist at National Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC, to learn more about her team’s research on MRI placental growth norms.

The availability of normative placental reference values opens the door for early detection of abnormal placental development. In addition to 3D measurement, MRI can also look at placenta functions such as oxygenation, blood flow, and elastography.

While it’s not feasible for every patient to get an MRI, it could be used with high risk cases to assess baseline functions. Along with AI, MRI could also help to develop risk profiles. This ongoing fetal imaging research helps to move the needle forward and is also important for understanding fetal development.

Link to the study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00247-025-06469-y |

04/09/2026

Get ready for the first ever…

03/27/2026

A little recap of our time at the Association Conference. Many conversations were had asking why the placenta isn’t already being measured! We appreciated connecting with so many caring and compassionate professionals and look forward to joining forces with other like-minded organizations to work together to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Measure. Track. Prevent. 🌳

EPV, preventable stillbirth, medical conference, National Perinatal Association, Idaho, prenatal care, pregnancy, first time mom, OBGYN

MTP team members Alicia and Hanna are attending the National Perinatal Association’s 2026 Interdisciplinary Conference t...
03/25/2026

MTP team members Alicia and Hanna are attending the National Perinatal Association’s 2026 Interdisciplinary Conference this week in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Why Idaho? Not only is Hanna (her daughter is a small placenta survivor) from Coeur d’Alene, but the theme of this year’s event is Uniting for Impact -Advancing Rural-Urban Collaboration and Innovation in Perinatal and Infant Health.

It’s a great chance to showcase that Estimated Placental Volume (EPV) is an easy, accessible, and equitable tool that can be used in any healthcare setting, large or small.

For more information about what we are sharing, check out our virtual booth:
https://www.npaconference.org/2026exhibitors

03/11/2026

Research shows that stillbirth can be prevented in at least 25% of pregnancies, with this number being even closer to half at full term.

Measure the Placenta is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to improving placental monitoring during pregnancy.

Our mission is to educate and advocate for routine placental measurements during pregnancy, using ultrasound. We are working to do this by elevating prenatal care standards and preventing stillbirth by increasing awareness, engaging healthcare providers, and sharing evidence‑based research.

And to think, at one point these little ones were sustained by the placenta during pregnancy. 🌳 Measure. Track. Prevent....
03/07/2026

And to think, at one point these little ones were sustained by the placenta during pregnancy. 🌳

Measure. Track. Prevent. |

Today is International TAPS Day. Twenty years ago, twin anemia polycythemia sequence (TAPS) was first clearly described ...
03/03/2026

Today is International TAPS Day. Twenty years ago, twin anemia polycythemia sequence (TAPS) was first clearly described as a different pattern in monochorionic twins: one anemic, one polycythemic, often without the fluid or growth differences seen in classical twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. That work, and follow-up reports in post-laser and spontaneous TAPS, changed how many teams look at these pregnancies and raised new questions about diagnosis and care.
In 2026, the worldwide community is marking a Year of TAPS to recognize that this condition affects families every day, before birth, after birth, and in the long term.
We are joining the 20 Years of TAPS campaign to help raise awareness among clinicians, researchers, and families, and to support ongoing conversations about monitoring, treatment, and follow-up.
For more information, visit internationaltapsday.com.

Lauren & Alayna’s small placenta survivor story: After a high blood pressure reading flagged me for more testing, I ende...
03/03/2026

Lauren & Alayna’s small placenta survivor story:

After a high blood pressure reading flagged me for more testing, I ended up being diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks and was induced that night.

She shot out so fast, the neonatologist wasn’t even in the room. That’s when we first got a good look at how small she was. She was frail, dark purple, & not moving or breathing. Those few minutes were the longest minutes of my life as we waited for her to breathe. Finally, for what seemed like an eternity as time stood still, she started moving and gurgling.

They brought her over to the warmer and she weighed only 3 pounds 14 oz. I got to hold her one time before they rushed her to the Neonatal ICU. The next 10 days were the hardest days of our lives.

Alayna was hooked up to monitors watching her heart rate and oxygen levels. She had an IV placed to help with fluids, & a tube placed down her nose to help her eat. I was only allowed to hold her for a few minutes so her temperature wouldn’t drop. Just when we thought we weren’t making any progress, Alayna had a huge jump in weight overnight and we were finally able to go home.

Through all this, we found out later on that her placenta measured incredibly small at 351g (normal is 471g+) and had infarcts. When I asked my doctor what that had meant, it seemed like my doctor brushed it off.

Flash forward 6 years: Alayna is the sweetest, most kind girl you will ever meet.

I can’t help but wonder if the placenta was measured if we would’ve had a much different experience. | first time mom, maternal health, NICU grad, pregnancy, third trimester, prenatal care, tiny but mighty, placenta

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Shoreview, MN
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