Hypoxia - what is it?

All the thoughts of a pregnant woman only about one thing - about the future baby. She already now cares about his comfort and dreams that the crumb was born strong and healthy. In order for the baby to develop correctly, and the births went smoothly and without complications, all the processes in the body of the baby, and in the body of the future of the mother should proceed as expected, without failures. However, violations do happen. One of the reasons may be hypoxia. What it is? A natural question that worries future mothers. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of "hypoxia" is by no means a rarity. That is why prospective mothers should know about such a deviation.

Hypoxia - what is it and what are the causes of the disorder?

Fetal hypoxia is a combination of changes in the fetal body due to lack of oxygen. Such a violation is not independent, but occurs due to various pathological processes that can develop in the body of a future mother, fetus or in the placenta. During planned visits, the gynecologist should tell future mothers about such a deviation as hypoxia, what is it, what are the causes and consequences of oxygen starvation.

Factors that can provoke hypoxia are quite numerous. Basically, these are violations in the mother's body:

• Anemia is a disease in which erythrocytes in the blood supply oxygen inadequately to the tissues of the body.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Disturbances from the respiratory system (bronchitis, asthma and others).
• Diabetes.
• Disorders of the kidneys.

Also, brain hypoxia in newborns can develop due to a deviation from the fetus-placental blood flow:

• The threat of premature birth.
• Mature pregnancy.
• Abnormal course of labor.
• Pathologies of the umbilical cord and placenta.

Fetal diseases that can lead to hypoxia are as follows:

• Intrauterine infection with infection.
• Developmental flaws.
• Head compression during childbirth.
• Incompatibility of blood type of fetus and mother.

Hypoxia of the fetus: consequences

Oxygen starvation can provoke a malfunction in the work of the whole organism. At different times of pregnancy, hypoxia has different consequences for the baby's future. If such a condition is diagnosed in the early stages of pregnancy, it can provoke abnormal fetal development. In later terms, oxygen deficiency leads to damage to the nervous system of the fetus, delayed growth, a decrease in the adaptive abilities of the newborn. If the supply of oxygen is not enough, there is a change in metabolic processes. All systems and organs begin to work in a more active mode. First of all, the fetus tries to provide vital organs (heart, brain, kidneys) with necessary oxygen , this leads to hypoxia of the intestine and as a result meconium (original feces) is secreted. But with prolonged oxygen starvation, the baby's body weakens and can not withstand adverse effects. First of all, the nervous system is affected, since it is the nervous tissue that becomes the main object of the pathological effect of oxygen deficiency.

Minor hypoxia, as a rule, does not affect the health of the baby's future. In severe hypoxia, ischemia and necrosis in various tissues may appear, which provokes irreversible effects.

Treatment of hypoxia

If an oxygen deficiency is detected, treatment should be started immediately. The future mother is sent to the diagnostic center to identify the causes of hypoxia and for examination of the fetus. Normalization of metabolic processes and circulation is performed on an outpatient basis. In chronic hypoxia, to improve the blood supply to the uterus of a pregnant woman, it is recommended to observe a calm bed rest. The use of medications is aimed at relaxing the muscles of the uterus and expanding the vessels of the placenta.

If the complex therapy does not yield positive results and the fetus's condition worsens, at the gestational age of more than 28 weeks they make a decision about emergency delivery through the cesarean section.

Today, a fairly common complication in pregnancy is hypoxia. What is this, what are the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, every future mother should know.