A fatal outcome for a fetus in medicine is called antenatal death. This pathology can be provoked by various somatic diseases, intoxication of the body, infectious diseases and other causes. Fetal death is characterized by a lack of heart beat, dying movements, stopping the growth of the uterus and increased pain in the abdomen of a woman. The diagnosis is confirmed after a series of studies and the woman is sent for delivery.
- Causes of
- Symptoms of
- Delivery of
- Prevention of
Causes of
It is important to note that fetal death is not always the inability of a woman to fully endure pregnancy. The death of the embryo during the prenatal period occurs for a number of reasons and the effects of various factors.
In gynecology, a fairly large number of underlying causes are allocated, which provoke a miscarriage. The main ones are:
- Consequences of infectious ailments .Infectious ailments, present an increased threat to the life of the fetus. Pregnancy fading occurs due to infection of a woman with chlamydia( STD), herpes virus, measles, pneumonia, meningitis.
- Somatic diseases women( heart disease, cardiovascular system, anemia, kidney and liver disease).
- Diabetes mellitus. Diseases of the endocrine system .
- Inflammatory process in female genital organs .Death of the fetus can occur even in later terms due to extragenital ailments.
- Strong late toxicosis .If this factor occurs in conjunction with the inflammatory process in the body of a woman, then the threat to life of a pregnant woman also increases.
- Pathological abnormalities of the placenta , for example, placental infarction, placental circulatory disorders, previa, placental abruption. Problems with the umbilical cord .Exposing the umbilical cord to the baby's neck can lead to suffocation. To save a woman's life, an urgent delivery is required.
- Immune disorders of .Premature aging is characterized by a decrease in conductive functions. Consequences - problems with embryonic development or fatal outcome of the fetus.
- Autoimmune diseases .
- Rh-conflict. It is not uncommon for a female body to actively develop antibodies to fight an alien body( fetus), thus rejection of the embryo occurs. This is explained by increased activity of the immune system. In order to block this process, a special drug "Octagam" is prescribed.
- Drip irrigation or hydramnios .
- Postponed stress or increased nervous tension .
- Consequences of bad habits .If a pregnant woman uses narcotic substances, spirits, smokes, then pregnancy may die.
- The consequences of taking medications, their improper intake or abuse may be fraught with pregnancy.
- Breaking the hormonal background .
- Acute poisoning of by domestic and industrial poisons.
- Falls, injury to the mother can threaten the health and life of the fetus, regardless of the period.
During pregnancy, it is important to exclude all kinds of stressful situations( including air travel), take only medications prescribed by a doctor, be careful of injuries.
to table of contents ^Symptoms of
In early terms, the symptoms of fetal death are not sufficiently expressed, therefore diagnostics are needed to confirm the diagnosis. All signs of intrauterine death depend on the individual characteristics of the female body, so the symptomatology will also be individualized.
The main symptom of pathology is the absence of typical signs of pregnancy.
- The palpitations and movements of the fetus disappear;
- Termination of the contraction and growth of the uterus;
- Decreases the tone of the uterus;
- There is no engorgement of the mammary glands.
This condition, combined with weakness and a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen, should serve as an occasion to visit the doctor. If the pregnant woman did not have early signs of pregnancy, and the state of health was normal, then in the early term fading is determined only by ultrasound.
Confirmation of the diagnosis of antenatal embryo death occurs by electrocardiography, ultrasound examination, cardiotocography. Death is confirmed if, during studies, there are no signs of respiratory movements and palpitation of the fetus, and ultrasound reveals a violation( decomposition) of the body contours.
to the table of contents ^Delivery
After the fact of fetal fading confirmation, urgent operative actions are followed to save the life and health of the woman. If the problem occurred in the first weeks, the doctor prescribes the procedure for scraping the dead fetus. On these terms spontaneous abortions are not excluded.
When the pathology occurred in the second trimester, immediate delivery is necessary. The doctor must determine the method, based on information about the readiness of the birth canal. At this time spontaneous expulsion is excluded.
In antenatal fetal death at the end of pregnancy independent birth may occur, however, the doctor may prescribe a cesarean section if the woman has a bad feeling. But mostly in the last weeks of the term, experts recommend that the birth be stimulated to extract a dead pregnancy without surgery.
The development of a multiple pregnancy with subsequent fading carries a serious danger to the life of a woman, not excluding death. Identify this pathology is possible only through ultrasound.
The death of one of the twins leads to pathological violations of the second( the consequences that affect the nervous system).After the intervention, the woman may have problems with the monthly after antenatal fetal death.
to contents ^Prevention of
There are no specific preventive actions, because it is difficult to determine by preliminary symptoms that intrauterine fading will occur.
If conception has occurred for the first time, and pregnancy develops without pathologies, then a woman should urgently abandon bad habits, take medicines only in agreement with the doctor, protect herself from injuries, and not overwork. Thus, it is possible to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
Doctors recommend that at the planning stage of pregnancy pass such tests:
- ultrasound;
- smears;
- blood and urine test;
- examination of the endocrine system;
- study of hormonal background;
- excludes any infections in the body.
There are cases of intranatal outcome, when a child dies already during childbirth. In this case, the responsibility may be on the doctors that they were engaged in delivery.