These feathery strands are the delicate tubes, known as villi, found in the placenta early in pregnancy. The cells at the very ends of the tubes will invade the walls of the womb, embedding the growing placenta firmly in place so it can provide oxygen and nutrients for the growing foetus. Around six per cent of pregnant women are affected by a condition called pre-eclampsia, usually late on in pregnancy. It causes high blood pressure and other serious symptoms, including seizures in severe cases. At the moment, the cause of pre-eclampsia is unknown, so scientists are studying placenta samples to find out whether varying salt levels are playing a role in the normal development of the placenta or in pre-eclampsia. They hope to find out if simply adjusting the levels of salt in the diet could help, or if there are other approaches that might prevent pre-eclampsia in the future.
