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Publications

Journal Article Review Ppublish

PubMed: 40840313 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2025.08.324

A call to standardize the nomenclature of human fetal membrane at the feto-maternal interface.

Placenta 170:42-52

Authors: Claire E Kendal-Wright, John J Moore, Liping Feng, Ramkumar Menon, Anna L David, Tina T Chowdhury, Mia Frances Crowther, Connor Howe, Nanbert Zhong, Veronica Zaga Clavellina, Pilar Flores-Espinosa, Nina Truong, Vincent Sapin-Deour, Loïc Blanchon, Abir Zahra, Ananth K Kammala, Rahul Cherukuri, Lauren S Richardson

Affiliations

  • Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI 96826, USA.
  • Departments of Pediatrics and Reproductive Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Science, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Basic Science and Translational Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
  • Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
  • Centre for Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, UK.
  • Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA.
  • Department of Immunobiochemistry, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Basic Science and Translational Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Immunobiochemistry, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
  • The University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
  • School of Medicine, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
  • Electrical Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Basic Science and Translational Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.

Abstract

Despite being one of the largest intrauterine tissues in surface area, the fetal membrane that lines the intrauterine cavity is often overlooked, forgotten, or misidentified in clinical and basic science research. The feto-maternal interface is comprised of the fetal membrane (fetal component) and decidua parietalis (maternal component), which lines the intrauterine cavity and provides essential mechanical, immune, hormonal, and transport support to maintain pregnancy. Fetal membrane plays an important role in triggering and regulating labor via complex signaling cascades. Whilst several researchers have investigated the membranes world-wide, nomenclature remains inconsistent, leading to widespread ambiguity across inter-disciplinary disciplines involving science, bioengineering, and reproductive medicine. The ongoing confusion regarding its terminology, origins, structure, and function has resulted in several significant issues, including diagnostic errors and misrepresentation clinically, limitations and inaccuracies in scientific research, and regulatory and clinical miscommunication. Therefore, the Fetal Membrane Society (FMS) calls upon the field to standardize fetal membrane nomenclature, define its architecture, and summarize its region-specific differences to facilitate understanding of its biological role. Clear and consistent identification of the fetal membrane is essential in improving research accuracy, clinical outcomes, and effective communication within and between the medical and scientific communities.

MeSH

Communication, Research, Membranes, Placenta