Fetal hypoxia is a condition associated with insufficient intake of oxygen into the fetus. A terrible complication of hypoxia is asphyxia - a life-threatening condition of the fetus, when its body for some reason ceases to receive oxygen. Asphyxia can lead either to death of the fetus, or to severe disorders of the cardiovascular and central nervous system.
What causes fetal hypoxia?
Hypoxia of the fetus is acute and chronic. Chronic hypoxia of the fetus during pregnancy is noted in 10% of women and it is associated with the existing concomitant extragenital pathology (cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, chronic anemia), pregnancy pathology (rhesus-conflict, blood group conflict, late gestosis) and unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, work at harmful enterprises). The initial stage of fetal hypoxia is characterized by the activation of adaptive mechanisms (some increase in heart rate to 160 beats per minute, activation of metabolic processes), which increases the fetal organism's resistance to subsequent lack of oxygen.
Acute fetal hypoxia (acute distress of the fetus) occurs, as a rule, in childbirth, and it happens for the following reasons: placental abruption, prolonged labor (weakness of labor), clamping of the umbilical cord loops (tight cord, prolapse of umbilical cord loops during labor). Diagnosis of fetal hypoxia in childbirth is confirmed by listening to the fetal heartbeat between contractions or cardiotocography. Normally, the fetal heart rate is within the range of 110-170 beats per minute. Palpitation of the fetus during hypoxia at first increases above 170 beats per minute, and when tightened with assistance, passes into a bradycardia (below 110 beats per minute).
How to determine fetal hypoxia?
And yet - how to recognize the hypoxia of the fetus during pregnancy? The first signs of intrauterine hypoxia of the fetus can be determined by the woman herself, by listening to the frequency of her movements. The wiggling of the fetus during hypoxia is frequent at first, and in the case of an increase in oxygen deficiency becomes rare and sluggish (less than 3 times in 1 hour). Confirm the fear that the child suffers from a lack of oxygen, you can use special methods of research: cardiotocography, dopplerometry and the study of amniotic fluid.
Treatment of fetal oxygen starvation
Medical measures for hypoxia depend on its type: acute or chronic. Diagnosed hypoxia in labor is an indication for emergency delivery by cesarean section, if distress is suspected when the insertion of the head occurred, then it is recommended that the delivery be accelerated by vacuum extraction of the fetus. The birth of a child occurs with the obligatory presence of a neonatologist who estimates the newborn at 1 and 5 minutes on the Apgar scale and provides the necessary assistance.
With the initial signs of fetal hypoxia during pregnancy, you should immediately consult a doctor so that he or she prescribes the necessary studies to confirm oxygen starvation. Correction of chronic hypoxia is the treatment of ecstatic diseases, daily walks in the fresh air, rational nutrition and the rejection of bad habits.
If you want to get a healthy and full-fledged child, you need to take care of it before pregnancy: cure co-morbid diseases, give up bad habits, change harmful work and get rid of possible stresses.