2007-01-16 12:18:55 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
to transport nutrients between the mother and the fetus.
2007-01-16 12:22:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
umbilical cord (ŭmbĭl'ĭkəl) , cordlike structure about 22 in. (56 cm) long in the pregnant human female, extending from the abdominal wall of the fetus to the placenta. Its chief function is to carry nourishment and oxygen from the placenta to the fetus and return waste products to the placenta from the fetus. It consists of a continuation of the membrane covering the fetus and encloses a mucoid jelly through which one vein carries oxygenated blood and two arteries carry unoxygenated blood. After birth, the cord is clamped off and cut. It is sometimes abnormal in length and may break prematurely or form loops or knots, which may asphyxiate the fetus. The stump of the cord that is left attached to the infant withers and drops off, leaving the scar known as the navel.
Because umbilical cord blood is especially rich in stem cells (cells that give rise to red blood cells and lymphocytes) some parents choose to save it in private cord blood banks in case of future need as a transplant alternative to bone marrow, but in many diseases treated with stem cells such autologous transplants are contraindicated. Studies have shown that people not related to the donor (genetically mismatched) can benefit from transplants of umbilical cord blood in combating leukemia and other cancers. Cord blood has also been used to repair heart and other tissue defects in children with certain metabolic disorders.
2007-01-16 12:38:24 · answer #2 · answered by meekaila 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the umbilical cord functions in all but a] above
2016-05-23 22:30:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's to transport nutrients between the fetus and mother while also sending the waste products of the fetus away through the mother's urninary/excritory systems
2007-01-16 12:25:58 · answer #4 · answered by smartree16 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, and removal of waste and carbon dioxide.
2007-01-16 12:24:25 · answer #5 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It transports nutrients to and wastes away from a developing mammal while it is in utero.
2007-01-16 12:22:29 · answer #6 · answered by Ellie S 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is to dispose of the developing baby's waste.
2007-01-16 12:22:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll find out when you move out and get a job !
2007-01-16 12:22:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋