What to do if the fetus is stillborn in the fourth month of pregnancy

There are many things to pay attention to during pregnancy, especially in the first three months. The fetus is relatively small and fragile, and the slightest carelessness in daily life may harm the fetus, so pregnant women need to protect it carefully and pay attention to the fetus' condition at all times. However, some people suffer from stillbirth in the fourth month of pregnancy due to lack of attention, which is very unfortunate. In fact, there are many reasons for stillbirth during pregnancy. The following article introduces the symptoms and causes of this situation.

Symptoms of stillbirth in four months of pregnancy

1. Fetal movement stops, fetal heart rate disappears, and the uterus stops expanding.

2. The fundus of the uterus and abdominal circumference shrink, and the feeling of breast distension disappears and shrinks.

3. If the fetus remains still for too long, it may cause the expectant mother to feel general fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, postpartum hemorrhage or disseminated intravascular coagulation. About 80% of fetal death are delivered naturally within 2-3 weeks. If the fetus is still not expelled 3 weeks after death, the degenerative placental tissue releases thromboplastin into the maternal blood circulation, activating coagulation factors in the blood vessels and easily causing disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). If the fetus dies in utero for more than 4 weeks, the chance of DIC increases, which can cause severe bleeding during delivery.

Causes of stillbirth in four months of pregnancy

1. Placental and umbilical cord factors: such as placenta previa, placental abruption, vasa previa, acute chorioamnionitis, velamentous adhesion of the umbilical cord, umbilical cord knotting, umbilical cord prolapse, umbilical cord around the neck, etc., massive placental bleeding or umbilical cord abnormalities, leading to fetal hypoxia.

2. Fetal factors: such as severe fetal malformation, fetal growth restriction, twin-twin transfusion syndrome, fetal infection, serious genetic diseases, maternal-fetal blood type incompatibility, etc.

3. Factors affecting pregnant women: severe pregnancy complications, such as gestational hypertension, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, shock caused by various reasons, etc. Local factors in the uterus, such as excessive uterine tension or strong contraction, uterine malformation, uterine rupture, etc., can cause local ischemia and affect the placenta and fetus.

What to do if the fetus is stillborn in the fourth month of pregnancy

Once fetal death is confirmed, the pregnancy should be terminated as soon as possible. Intra-amniotic injection of rivanol or prostaglandin preparations can be used to induce labor. If the cervix is ​​mature, intravenous infusion of oxytocin can also be used to induce labor. If the fetus has been dead in utero for a long time, such as not being expelled after 4 weeks, pay attention to testing the coagulation function status and prepare fresh blood before inducing labor.

After the birth of a stillbirth, the placenta, umbilical cord and fetus should be carefully examined to find the cause of the stillbirth.

Prevention: Actively prevent and treat complications during pregnancy. In the late pregnancy, especially after 32 weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women should self-test fetal movements. Once any abnormalities are found, such as a significant decrease in fetal movements or no fetal movements, go to the hospital for examination immediately and treat them in time.

After reading this article, do you have a better understanding of the symptoms and causes of stillbirth in four months of pregnancy? If mothers experience similar symptoms in daily life, they don’t need to panic too much. It may be caused by other reasons. It is best to go to the hospital for examination to find out the cause just in case.