This example asks us which of the following statements best describes the role of the placenta during pregnancy? So let's run through them and see what we have. So option A reads that the placenta encapsulates the developing fetus, holding it in place within the uterine cavity, and that is incorrect. The placenta basically grows up against the uterine wall. It does not encapsulate the fetus the way that the amniotic sac would, for example. So option A is incorrect.

Option B says that the placenta facilitates the exchange of nutrients and gases between the mother and the conceptus, and that is correct. That is a great definition of what a placenta does, so our answer is going to be B.

Looking at option C, I can tell that it's incorrect because it refers to the placenta as a permanent organ, and it's not. The placenta is a temporary organ that is birthed at the end of pregnancy. And then looking at option D, it basically says that the placenta functions during the first and second trimesters and then slowly dissolves within the uterine cavity, and that is also incorrect. The placenta will stay fully intact throughout the entire fetal period; it does not begin dissolving at any point.

So our answer here is going to be B, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye bye.