What is fetal hypoxia? Causes. Treatment. Prevention

Intrauterine hypoxia is one of the most common problems that future mothers face.

What is fetal hypoxia ? This diagnosis suggests that the baby in the mother's womb does not receive the necessary amount of oxygen. It can occur both during the normal course of pregnancy, and at the very beginning of labor (acute form).

If the lack of oxygen has occurred in the early stages, the processes of formation of the most important organs of the child can be disrupted, which can subsequently lead to the development of complex anomalies and injuries. Closer to childbirth, the central nervous system of the baby and its physical development are at risk, there is a possibility of growth retardation. Those children who face hypoxia before the very birth should constantly be under the supervision of a neurologist: they can develop disorders of the autonomic nervous system, sometimes there is hypertonic muscle, the crumb becomes restless and capricious, malnourished and poorly awake.

What is hypoxia of the fetus, we already know. But there is also an acute shortage of oxygen, which occurs, as a rule, suddenly. To compensate for the lack of gas vital to the child, his body begins to use the so-called compensatory mechanisms, his body works literally to wear. As a result, the future mother feels an extremely active stirring of the baby. At the same time, a weak organism of the embryo can not work for a long time in this regime, and therefore without oxygen it soon ceases, since it can no longer move. If you do not go to a doctor in time to do all the necessary research, fix hypoxia and eliminate it, the consequences can be extremely deplorable for mom and baby.

However, it is not enough to know what the fetal hypoxia is. Equally important are the reasons that lead to the development of this violation. The first and most banal is the lack of blood in the mother of iron, responsible for the production of hemoglobin. It is hemoglobin that supplies oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. Anemia - a low level of hemoglobin as a consequence of lack of iron - is one of the most common causes of the development of hypoxia.

Quite often cases of violation of placental exchange (the exchange of useful substances between the mother and the embryo). In addition to the lack of nutritional elements, the baby may not receive enough and the portion of oxygen that is due to it.

The strongest effect can be smoking during pregnancy. Narrowing vessels nicotine disrupts the circulatory system. Since the mother and child organisms are inseparably linked, this affects not only the woman, but also the baby.

A variety of diseases of the mother (including chronic diseases) can also cause hypoxia. These are diseases of the heart, blood vessels, respiratory tract, frequent stresses, polyhydramnios, disorders that occur with pelvic presentation, pathology of the umbilical cord and placenta, intrauterine infections. Also, the cause may be different malformations of the embryo itself.

What to do with fetal hypoxia? As a rule, future mothers with this diagnosis are put in hospital for a hospital. They are under the supervision of specialists, undergo an appropriate course of therapy. An important point is the preservation of complete peace. If the period is 28 weeks or more, and there is no positive dynamics, a cesarean section is performed.

There is a hypoxia of a fetus of 1 degree (the kid lags behind in development up to 2 weeks), 2-nd (lagging for 2-4 weeks) and 3 rd (more than 4 weeks). Depending on the degree, the measures that the specialists will undertake may also vary.

Talking about the hypoxia of the fetus, it is worth saying that its best prevention is a healthy lifestyle, refusal from alcohol and smoking, a balanced diet, walking in the fresh air. And, of course, you need to visit a doctor regularly - only he will be able to identify violations in time and minimize their consequences.