The term retardation of fetal development of the fetus is used by physicians when the fetal body weight lag is detected by more than 10% of the estimated age of gestation. The syndrome of intrauterine growth retardation or fetal hypotrophy is of two kinds - symmetrical and asymmetric.
With symmetrical intrauterine hypotrophy, all organs are evenly reduced, whereas asymmetric hypotrophy is characterized by normal development of the skeleton and brain, but internal organs are affected. Often an asymmetric form of intrauterine growth retardation occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy due to various complications of pregnancy.
Stages and features of intrauterine development
In general, the pre-natal period of the child's development takes place in three main stages:
- The first, the initial stage - this is the time of the meeting of the egg and sperm, the further formation of the zygote, the cells of which begin to be intensively divided. This tiny creature moves into the uterus and is implanted into one of its walls.
- There comes the second period - embryonic. It lasts until the twelfth week. During this period the child is called the medical term "embryo". It is in these three months that all the systems and organs of the future little man are formed. Therefore, the second period (or in another way - the first trimester) is an extremely important stage of pregnancy.
- After 3 months begins a fetal period of development, when the baby is growing rapidly and gaining weight, while constantly improving his body.
Delay in prenatal fetal development - causes
The most common causes of intrauterine growth retardation include abnormalities in placental development, chromosomal abnormalities (eg, Down syndrome), alcohol and drug use, smoking during pregnancy, multiple pregnancies, certain types of infections (cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, rubella or syphilis), acute malnutrition.
Causes of intrauterine malformations of the fetus may be conditions leading to a violation of blood circulation. These include increased or decreased blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus with vascular damage, toxicosis of the second half of pregnancy.
To the development of fetal growth retardation lead to various chronic diseases in the mother, leading her body to intoxication and lack of oxygen. These are chronic infections, bronchitis, tonsillitis, respiratory diseases, pyelonephritis, carious teeth, anemia, cardiovascular diseases.