What are the symptoms of fetal growth retardation?

As the name suggests, fetal growth retardation means that the fetus has problems and stops developing. If the fetus stops developing in the mother's body, the mother's body will change, the fetus will be discharged from the body, the estrogen and progesterone in the body will decrease, and the fetus and the mother will be separated. In this process, the mother may experience vaginal bleeding, which is what we call threatened abortion. At this time, it will be accompanied by abdominal pain. If this happens, please seek medical attention immediately.

Introduction

Fetal arrest refers to the phenomenon that the embryo dies at a certain stage of development and stops developing further. The fertilized egg is like a seed. It has to go through a series of complex and wonderful processes before it finally grows into a healthy baby. If, in the initial stage, the fertilized egg has developmental abnormalities and automatically terminates development, it is called "embryonic arrest". Embryonic arrest is the stage before spontaneous abortion. If the embryo is expelled from the body for self-protection after embryonic arrest, it is called spontaneous abortion. If it fails to be expelled and remains in the uterine cavity, it is called missed abortion.

reason

Fetal arrest refers to the cessation of embryo development due to some reason in early pregnancy. Ultrasound examination may show an irregular fetal bud or fetal shape in the gestational sac, no fetal heartbeat, or a withered gestational sac. Clinically, it falls into the category of miscarriage or stillbirth. There are many reasons for fetal growth retardation. More than 90% of them are related to abnormalities of the embryo itself. In a few cases, they are related to luteal insufficiency, hyperprolactinemia, abnormal thyroid function, and diabetes.

diagnosis

Patients with a history of amenorrhea should undergo B-ultrasound examination in the early stages of pregnancy, regardless of whether they have spotting or not, to avoid missing the diagnosis of fetal growth retardation. B-ultrasound monitoring of embryo and fetal development: if there is no gestational sac at ≥6 weeks, or if there is a gestational sac but it is deformed and wrinkled, when the gestational sac is ≥4cm but no fetal bud is seen, and when the fetal bud (branch head length) is ≥4~5mm and there is no fetal heartbeat during vaginal ultrasound, it can be determined that the embryo has arrested. In addition, blood β-hcG measurement can also help diagnose fetal growth retardation. If blood β-hcG is <100IU/L at ≥5 weeks, or <2000IU/L at ≥6 weeks, it indicates insufficient secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin. If the value no longer increases during dynamic observation, it can be determined that the chorionic epithelium is degenerating and the embryo is abnormal.