Intrauterine fetal hypoxia

If during pregnancy the fetus receives oxygen less than the amount necessary for its normal development, then fetal hypoxia develops. Most often develops in the perinatal period (from 28 weeks) and until the birth of a child.

The causes of intrauterine fetal hypoxia

Causes of fetal hypoxia:

1. Mother's diseases : heart diseases, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, intoxication syndrome, mother's shock state, severe bleeding, blood system diseases.
2. Violation of the placental circulation : with gestosis of the second half of pregnancy, accompanied by a violation of the placental circulation, with premature placental abruption, umbilical cord fractures or multiple neck cord embolism, with abnormal labor.
3. Fetal diseases : heart defects of the newborn, chromosomal diseases of the fetus, hemolytic disease of the newborn, intrauterine infections, craniocerebral injury of the newborn. After the birth of the child, acute hypoxia (asphyxia) can be caused by the aspiration of amniotic fluid in the respiratory tract.

Types of fetal hypoxia

Fetal hypoxia can be acute and chronic:

1. Acute fetal intrauterine hypoxia. It develops in a few hours or even minutes, the cause is most often premature detachment of the placenta, and during labor - any bleeding, uterine ruptures, knots or multiple cord entanglement. In this case, whenever possible, an emergency cesarean section is performed to save the life of the fetus and the mother, since the most frequent consequences, when intrauterine fetal hypoxia develops sharply, is his death.
2. Chronic intrauterine fetal hypoxia. It develops gradually. The fetus manages to adapt to the lack of oxygen, although it can also lead to the death of the fetus. But the most common consequences, if there is chronic intrauterine fetal hypoxia, is the fetal development retardation syndrome (lagging behind in the main sizes more than 2 weeks from the gestation period).

Symptoms of fetal hypoxia

First of all, the mother can determine the hypoxia of the fetus by decreasing or not moving the baby. Another symptom that can listen to a gynecologist or is determined by CTG or ultrasound is a change in the frequency and rhythm of fetal heartbeats. First the frequency is more than 160, then less than 100, the rhythm sometimes becomes wrong.

In addition to the lag in development, ultrasound is determined by:

• muscle tone;
• flexion or extension positions of the body and limbs (normally - boxer's pose, active movements);
• Amount of amniotic fluid (normal column is 35-70 mm);
• condition of the placenta (normal without pathological inclusions);
• a condition of a placental blood flow (at a doplerogram of vessels of a placenta).

Intrauterine fetal hypoxia - treatment

Treatment during pregnancy is aimed at improving placental blood flow, metabolism in the body (fighting acidosis) and strengthening the fetus's resistance to hypoxia. But if the symptoms of hypoxia build up, an emergency delivery or a cesarean section is recommended.

Prevention of intrauterine fetal hypoxia

Methods of prevention for the mother:

• more to be in the open air;
• do not smoke during pregnancy;
• avoid stress;
• beware of large concentrations of people, so as not to become infected with viral diseases;
• proper nutrition of the pregnant .

The preventive work of the doctor is aimed at the timely diagnosis and treatment of complications of pregnancy and mother's diseases, the correct management of labor.