A healthy placenta is essential for fetal growth and development in the womb. General lifestyle choices are the biggest factors that can affect the development of the placenta. A healthy diet and a measured intake of pregnancy supplements such as calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin D will encourage the development of a healthy placenta. Placental development will be impaired through the taking of recreational drugs, alcohol intake and, most prominently, smoking during pregnancy.

The main factors affecting the healthy development of the placenta are those that come automatically with a healthy, balanced eating program and lifestyle. A well-rounded diet is required to ensure that placental cells receive the vitamins and minerals that the placenta needs to successfully establish, attaching the embryo to the uterus wall. The diet requires the intake of meat, fish and vegetables, and the lack of any of these groups, in a vegan diet for example, will necessitate the additional intake of supplements. It is important for a woman not to overdose on some supplements, because excessive levels of vitamin A and vitamin C can also have a detrimental on the development of the placenta. Vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium are essential nutrients during pregnancy; if dietary requirements dictate that these nutrients are not being provided by daily food intakes, additional supplements will be required.

Similarly to lifestyle factors having a positive effect on the development of the placenta, the same is true of negative effects from lifestyle choices. The ingestion of recreational drugs and alcohol can seriously disrupt the successful development of the placenta. One of the most researched areas of detrimental lifestyle choice affecting placental development is smoking during pregnancy. Maternal smoking affects the placental cells before it damages the unborn child. This restricts the growth of the placenta and, in turn, the functionality of the organ that is required for fetal development.

The placenta is an essential component of pregnancy. The development of the placenta is compromised through the increased cell death that can result from maternal smoking. The placenta features characteristics similar to those of the human heart, so it is of little surprise that the effect that smoking has on the heart can be replicated within the development of the placenta. Maternal smoking can also lead to reduced birth weight if the pregnancy continues for the full term, which can also lead to serious complications if a pre-term birth occurs, and an increased risk of miscarriage because of the excessive cell death and associated slowing of placental development.