Which structure provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus?

• A. Umbilical Cord
• B. Placenta
• C. Amniotic Fluid
• D. Amniotic Sac

Answer: (B)

The placenta is the site where the mother’s blood and the fetus’s blood come into close contact and exchange substances. Oxygen and nutrients from maternal blood diffuse across the placental villi into fetal blood, directly supplying the fetus. In return, carbon dioxide and waste products diffuse from the fetal blood into the maternal circulation. The umbilical cord simply carries this exchange between placenta and fetus; it is the conduit, not the source. Amniotic fluid and the amniotic sac provide cushioning and a protective environment, not nutrients or oxygen for the developing baby.