Cases of fetal death are not uncommon these days.
The older a woman gets, the greater the risk of this pathology. But this does not mean that a 20-year-old girl’s fetus cannot freeze.
There are many other factors influencing intrauterine embryo death.
Therefore, it is important to know how to determine a frozen pregnancy at home in order to avoid such sad consequences as intoxication of the female body and even death.
Causes of non-developing pregnancy
The fetus can freeze as a result of the mother’s poor lifestyle or due to various diseases:
- drinking alcohol, smoking;
- independent use of medications without a doctor’s prescription;
- infectious diseases, for example, rubella, influenza, cytomegalovirus;
- constant stress, overexertion;
- lifting weights;
- hormonal imbalance;
- work in hazardous industries, etc.
Frozen pregnancy
At what period can fetal death occur?
A pregnant woman can face such a problem in any trimester. However, most often the fetus freezes in the early stages - up to 12 weeks. It turns out that the shorter the period, the greater the risk of embryo death.
Of course, the best way to diagnose pathology is ultrasound..
But what to do when it is not possible to urgently come to the hospital, for example, a woman has gone to the village, and there are no diagnostic devices there? How then to recognize a frozen pregnancy in order to take appropriate measures in time?
For this, knowledge of the clinical signs of miscarriage will help. A frozen pregnancy can be determined by its characteristic signs.
Thus, pathological symptoms are divided into 2 groups depending on the timing of pregnancy:
- Signs characteristic of fetal freezing in the early stages.
- Signs by which one can judge the death of the fetus in the later stages.
Signs of a frozen pregnancy in the first trimester
When pregnancy occurs and throughout all three trimesters, a woman's temperature in the rectum increases.
If a woman measured her temperature at the time of pregnancy and after suspecting a frozen pregnancy, and it became lower, then this may be a sign of fetal fading.
Basal temperature during pregnancy increases by 1–2 degrees.
A sharp decrease in basal temperature (measured in the rectum) may indicate a frozen pregnancy.
A decrease in temperature occurs due to the cessation of the corpus luteum performing its functions, as a result of which the level of progesterone drops sharply.
However, you should not rely only on this sign. There are cases when, even with a non-developing pregnancy, a woman’s basal temperature is above normal.
As a result, the woman thinks that her pregnancy is going well, but in fact she has no idea that she is carrying a dead child under her heart.
Abrupt disappearance of toxicosis symptoms
One of the signs of a frozen pregnancy in the early stages is a decrease or disappearance of toxicosis. For example, a woman felt sick every morning, and then suddenly everything stopped.
Pain during frozen pregnancy
With any pathology, including non-development of the fetus, pain can be observed. When the embryo freezes, the pain is cramping. They start in the lower abdomen and reach the lower back.
Vaginal discharge
Watery, bloody, bloody discharge in a pregnant woman is an alarm bell. This is the first sign that you need to sound the alarm.
If the discharge is curdled or transparent, then this phenomenon is not dangerous and does not indicate the death of the fetus.
During pathology, the breasts begin to become rough, and the woman may experience pain.
Although in some situations the opposite happens: the woman’s mammary glands were sensitive, and when the embryo freezes, the unpleasant sensations go away.
This is due to the fact that when the fetus dies, the breasts completely relax and hormonal processes are disrupted.
Symptoms of a frozen pregnancy can be either single or multiple.
Urination
During pregnancy, women experience frequent urination. If it is restored, the pregnant woman stops frequently running to the toilet, then this may be an indirect sign of a frozen pregnancy.
Lack of fetal development and death in the third trimester is a very dangerous phenomenon. If trouble is not detected in a timely manner, the woman may not survive.
Therefore, every girl should know how a frozen pregnancy manifests itself in the later stages:
- Lack of fetal activity - it stops moving.
- The uterus does not increase in size.
- The belly stops growing.
- The mammary glands decrease in size. The tension in them disappears, they become soft, just like before pregnancy.
- Increased body temperature. If a pregnant woman does not suspect that the fetus has frozen and continues to carry a dead child, then an infection begins to develop in her uterus. This causes an increase in body temperature.
If a woman is in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and within 2 days she stops feeling the movement of the fetus, then she urgently needs to run to the doctor.
Many women are interested in: “Is it possible to use a test to determine an undeveloped pregnancy and what can the test show?” If you suspect fetal death, you should not immediately run to the pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test.
Even if an accident happened, the test will not show reliable information. The fact is that the test can show two stripes for several weeks after the death of the embryo.
And if the fetus remains in the uterus for a long time and begins to decompose, this can lead to very serious consequences: from infertility to the death of the mother.
It is not always possible to accurately determine a frozen pregnancy at home.. Only an obstetrician-gynecologist during examination and ultrasound can confirm or refute the diagnosis.
Based on the symptoms listed in the article, you will now know how to understand that the fetus has frozen during pregnancy. But this is just a theory. Because a headache, abdominal cramps and lack of toxicosis are not always signs of a missed pregnancy.
In any case, if you have any suspicions or changes in your health status, you should promptly contact the doctor who is caring for your pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a time of expectations, dreams of a beautiful and future baby. During pregnancy, there is a certain plan of observations with the doctor and a certain number of scheduled ultrasound examinations. And during one of the ultrasounds, any woman can hear the phrase “You are carrying a hero.” This means that a large fetus is developing inside you.
There are certain norms for the weight and height of the baby at the time of birth. It is considered normal when a child with a height of 48–54 cm weighs up to 4,000 kg. If the baby weighs from 4 to 5 kg at the time of birth, then they talk about a large fetus during pregnancy. But it’s strange that in this case the height of the children is not taken into account. After all, large babies are always taller than children, who, as they say, are part of the norm. The height of large babies is usually 54 – 56 cm.
According to statistics, today the number of large children accounts for 5-10% of all pregnancies. Doctors believe that this is due to improved working conditions, nutritious and healthy nutrition, as well as the living conditions of pregnant women.
There are also cases of the birth of giant babies: weight over 5 kg. But such cases are recorded much less frequently.
How to identify a large fruit?
Starting from the 12th week of pregnancy, at each examination the doctor listens to the baby’s heartbeat, measures the girth of the pregnant woman’s hips and abdomen, and the pregnant woman’s weight and blood pressure are also measured in the pre-medical office. All these measurements are not made in order to indicate to the woman how much she has gained and to offend her. All this is done in order to clearly paint a picture of the course of pregnancy and monitor the health of the baby and the expectant mother.
Diagnosis of a large fetus during pregnancy is made not only on the basis of examination of the woman. An experienced doctor always takes into account heredity and diseases. The doctor should ask about the father’s physique and what weight the future parents themselves were born with. If, from all the examination and interview data, a suspicion of a large fetus is diagnosed, only then is a referral for an ultrasound scan given. Only on the basis of an ultrasound examination can the estimated weight of the baby be calculated.
This unscheduled study determines the size of the fetal head, the diameter and circumference of the abdomen, and the length of the baby’s femur and humerus. And based on these data, it becomes possible to calculate the estimated weight of the fetus.
Causes of a large fetus
There can be many reasons why you are carrying a hero. Some of them are associated only with heredity, some are a reflection of the mother’s lifestyle or an echo of her health. Let us dwell in more detail on the reasons that the fetus weighs more than normal during pregnancy.
1. Increased pregnancy duration. There are two terms that are associated with a long period of gestation: prolongation of physiological pregnancy and post-term pregnancy. The prolongation is due to the fact that the due date was incorrectly set. In this case, a healthy baby is born, but 10-14 days later than the due date set by doctors. The health of the baby is determined by the absence of signs of post-maturity and aging of the placenta. In case of a true post-term pregnancy, a baby is born with the following signs:
- skin wrinkling;
- greenish or grayish tint of amniotic fluid;
- lack of vernix lubrication; dryness.
2. A disease such as diabetes, can lead to a large fetus during pregnancy. A pregnant woman who has diabetes should be examined more thoroughly than others. Among such women, the statistics of having large children is much higher.
Such pregnant women should be hospitalized no later than 32 weeks of pregnancy. In the hospital, they undergo a thorough examination, after which a decision is made on the timing of delivery. If a diabetic patient is carrying a large fetus, then the issue of artificial induction of labor is decided no earlier than 36 weeks. This decision is also made when the woman’s health deteriorates (preeclampsia, low blood sugar, etc.). In this case, childbirth takes place under the careful supervision of a therapist. Insulin is administered throughout labor. Insulin treatment continues after childbirth, depending on test results.
3. Hemolytic disease of the fetus– a serious reason for the development of a large fetus during pregnancy. This disease is caused by Rh incompatibility between mother and child. Occurs in women with a negative Rh factor, when the baby inherits the positive Rh factor of the father. As a result of this disease, not only does the baby's hemoglobin level decrease and jaundice appear, but also excess weight due to the accumulation of fluid in the body cavities (swelling appears), and the spleen and liver become enlarged.
4. Heredity plays an important role in the development of a large fetus. If the baby's mom or dad is tall and large at the moment, then there is a high probability that the child will be big. Also today, small parents could be born large. Then the baby can inherit exactly this fact and will also be a hero.
5. There is also a tendency for the fetus to develop larger in subsequent pregnancies. According to statistics, the second and subsequent children are born weighing 30% more than their older brothers and sisters. This is primarily due to the psychological factor (the mother no longer experiences such enormous stress and fear during her second pregnancy). The second reason is the readiness and training of the woman’s body to bear a baby (now the metabolism between mother and baby improves due to better blood circulation).
6. Nutrition for a pregnant woman can also affect the baby's size. A large amount of food containing carbohydrates (baked goods, sweets) contributes to obesity of the mother and child. In this case, the baby’s body begins to work like the mother’s and gains excess weight. Obesity can develop already in the womb.
Danger with large fruit
The final stage of pregnancy is childbirth; this is one of the most important and difficult moments of expecting a baby. Carrying a large baby can cause certain difficulties during the delivery process. These difficulties can affect both the health of the mother and the health of the newborn.
First of all, with a large fetus during pregnancy, there may be discrepancy between the size of the baby's head and the mother's pelvis . Even if the pelvis is not narrow, the head of a large baby may not pass through the birth canal. In this case, even good, strong labor activity will not be able to ensure natural delivery.
The head of a large fetus stands high in the pelvic cavity, this is the reason for the lack of differentiation into anterior and posterior amniotic fluid. This difference from normal physiological labor causes early rupture of amniotic fluid. If the fetus is large, then the umbilical cord or the baby’s hand may fall out along with the rupture into the vagina. In this case, immediate surgical intervention is required. Early rupture of water slows down the process of uterine dilatation, and makes the period of contractions very painful. The fact that the baby is without water for a long time can cause infection of him and the uterus.
The development of a large fetus during pregnancy can cause labor disturbances . This disorder is characterized by good and strong activity in the first stage and a decrease in labor activity in the later stages of labor. As a result, the woman in labor gets tired and cannot push. Also, cases of disruption of the nervous and cardiovascular systems are not uncommon. A large fetus in this situation suffers from a lack of oxygen - hypoxia. This disorder may be characterized by very weak contractions in the first stage of labor.
During pushing, when the baby's head takes the shape of the woman's pelvis, it may occur uterine rupture problem . This occurs, again, due to the discrepancy between the sizes of the small pelvis and the head of a large fetus.
Emergence genitourinary or rectovaginal fistulas not a rare occurrence at the birth of large children. This is due to the prolonged standing of the baby's head in the woman's pelvic area. In this case, necrosis of the tissues of the bladder, rectum and urethra occurs. The dead tissue is then rejected, forming fistulas. The problem can only be solved by surgical intervention after childbirth.
If the baby is born for a long time, it may pinched nerve in the leg , there is also a possibility of damage to the articulation of the pubic bones. This is reflected in the gait of the young mother, limping and pain when moving her leg. If the degree of nerve damage is high, then surgery is required to solve the problem. For mild paresis, bed rest and a bandage are recommended. According to the doctor's decision, painkillers may be prescribed.
All of the above can occur even before the birth of the baby’s head, which was considered large during pregnancy. But even when it would seem that the most difficult thing is over, problems can arise. After the birth of the head of a large fetus, difficulties may arise in removing the baby's shoulder girdle. If the child is large, then, first of all, the neonatologist pays attention to the condition of his collarbones and arms.
A discrepancy between the mother's pelvis and the baby's head can cause cerebral hemorrhage in a child or cephalohematoma. If there are no complications, then after 6-8 weeks the hematoma subsides without having any effect on the child’s health. Hemorrhage may also have no consequences for the development and health of the baby. It all depends on its size and the zone of outpouring.
We must not forget that a woman who has given birth to a large baby may have insufficient uterine contraction . As a result, bleeding may occur after the baby is born. The causes of bleeding include retained placenta in the uterus and ruptures of the tissues of the genital tract.
What to do?
If, after your next examination with a doctor, you are told that you have a large fetus, you should not panic. A large fetus during pregnancy means the need for more careful monitoring in the future and during childbirth. Having learned that the baby is large, the doctor will first try to find out the reason.
If the cause is any pathology of fetal development or the woman’s health, hospital treatment will be prescribed. In this case, in most situations, the woman is under observation until childbirth, since there is a need for constant medication treatment.
If the cause of a large fetus is heredity or overeating of the mother, then a diet is prescribed. According to the diet, the mother should receive only healthy food that will not contribute to excess weight gain.
There is also no need to be afraid of childbirth when a large fetus develops. The only thing you need to do in advance is to talk to your doctor about the course of your labor. In some cases, a caesarean section is immediately prescribed, in others a wait-and-see approach is adopted.
Indicators for a caesarean section already during labor are the presence of signs of discrepancy between the baby's head and the mother's pelvis within 4 hours.
That is, if a natural birth is scheduled, then provided that labor progresses spontaneously and the waters break, the doctor can decide on an operation if there is a threat to the life of the mother or child.
Instructions
Monitor your condition. Morning sickness, drowsiness, aversion to certain foods, sensitivity to odors, swelling and tenderness of the mammary glands - these signs indirectly confirm both the presence of pregnancy and its development. Although the disappearance of any of the symptoms or their combination in itself does not mean that it is, this fact should alert you.
If your breasts have decreased in size, toxicosis has disappeared, and you do not feel the malaise that has haunted you in recent weeks, consult a doctor to make sure it is progressing. Perhaps these changes turn out to be a feature of your body, but everything is fine with the baby.
From the moment a fertilized egg enters the uterine cavity, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can be detected in a woman’s body - a pregnancy hormone produced by the tissue of the chorion - the embryonic membrane on the basis of which the placenta is formed. From 1 to 11 weeks, the level of hCG in a woman’s blood constantly increases, and from 11-16 weeks it begins to gradually decrease, since by this time it is converted into the placenta.
To monitor the development of pregnancy for up to 16 weeks, periodically donate blood to determine the level of hCG. If your antenatal clinic does not perform such an analysis, contact a specialized medical center or laboratory. A blood test for hCG is taken on an empty stomach: in the morning or during the day, but not earlier than 2 hours after a meal.
With regular visits to your obstetrician-gynecologist, you will be able to track the development of your pregnancy by objective signs: an increase in the height of the uterine fundus and abdominal circumference, which may not be noticeable to you. When the doctor takes these measurements, ask them to tell you their values, write them down and compare them with previous values.
If your doctor has a fetal doppler in his arsenal, you will be able to listen to your baby’s heartbeat from the 12th week - a reliable sign of a developing pregnancy. Of course, if you have the means, you can purchase this device for personal use and regularly monitor the child’s condition, but keep in mind that it is not cheap.
The optimal way to determine progressing pregnancy is ultrasound examination (ultrasound). After 5-6 obstetric weeks, the doctor can see the heartbeat of the embryo. Therefore, if you want to make sure that your pregnancy is developing in accordance with the term, contact your antenatal clinic or other medical institution with an ultrasound specialist. In the medical literature and among practicing doctors, there is no consensus on how often an ultrasound can be done, but if there are doubts about the correct course of pregnancy, it is better to have it done.
From about 18-22 weeks, the expectant mother begins to feel fetal movements. From this time on, no additional research will be required: record the baby’s movements every day, and carry out all the necessary tests, ultrasound and determination of the baby’s heart rate as planned.
Many pregnant women begin to feel their connection with their unborn child only after they feel the movements of the fetus - at first barely noticeable, and then more persistent. We asked an expert how to decipher these signals.
The head of the Moscow Center for Perinatal Diagnostics at Maternity Hospital No. 27, obstetrician-gynecologist Elena Vladimirovna Yudina, talks about what the baby is doing in the womb.
The laws of intrauterine life have not been fully studied...
Does it move or did it seem?
The fetus begins to move in the mother's womb while still an embryo, almost from the moment of birth. He turns over and tumbles almost continuously, but the expectant mother does not feel the movements as long as his muscles are thin and weak. When their size and strength increase, the woman begins to feel a barely audible and tender trembling within herself. The fetus first makes itself felt at various stages of pregnancy. It depends on the condition and physiological characteristics of the expectant mother. Women expecting their first child may feel fetal movements in 20-22 weeks of pregnancy. Those who have already given birth can feel this earlier - from 16 weeks. Their uterine muscles are more stretched, and fetal movements are more clearly audible.
Baby, how are you?
Studies have shown that in utero a child reacts to external sounds and brightness of light. Their strength affects the intensity of his movements. It is also known that its activity is influenced by both the mental and physical state of the mother. The state of wakefulness and rest can change in the fetus within every hour. This occurs in accordance with the physiological rhythms of its intrauterine development, which are different for everyone. Some babies may be more mobile in their mother's belly, while others may be calmer. Their intrauterine life follows its own laws, which have not yet been fully studied.
Even in the mother's womb, children have days of special activity and periods when they want to rest and behave calmly. Sometimes fetal movements can be caused by the body touching the inner wall of the fetal membrane, from which it moves away. Perhaps not enough oxygen is supplied to him through the blood through the umbilical cord. When it moves, its position changes, blood flow increases and oxygen supply increases.
The fetus makes breathing movements, sighs, and sometimes hiccups. At times, the expectant mother feels cramps in her stomach from his hiccups. In the fetus, as in the newborn child, this does not cause any particular inconvenience. With some babies this happens every day, or even several times a day, while others do not hiccup at all.
The number of fetal movements increases as pregnancy progresses. Rhythmic beats in some cases become regular and are repeated at constant intervals, while in others the fetus pushes spontaneously and variedly. The greater activity of the fetus in the mother's womb does not mean at all that after birth it will be more restless than those babies whose movements were less intense.
D. Pearson's test "Count to ten"On a special card, the number of fetal movements is recorded daily from 28 weeks. Counting starts at 9:00 and ends at 21:00. A small number of movements (less than 10 per day) may indicate oxygen deficiency in the fetus and is a reason to consult a doctor.
Periods of special activity
- If a pregnant woman leads an active lifestyle, the baby is calmed by the rhythm of her movements and she does not feel his kicks. As soon as she lies down to rest, the baby begins to kick and push. Therefore, some expectant mothers hear the baby's movements more often at night than during the day.
- Sometimes the force of the kicks increases after the mother has eaten. The food she eats adds energy to the fetus.
- The intensity of movement also increases due to the release of hormones into the blood when the expectant mother becomes nervous.
After 28 weeks During pregnancy, fetal movements are already clearly visible. It develops, grows and gets stronger, and its movements become more and more noticeable. You can already clearly understand when he is resting and when he is awake. As long as the baby has enough room in the uterus, he constantly spins and kicks. Sometimes this causes pain to the pregnant woman.
In order for the child to calm down, sometimes it is enough for her to change the position of her body or take several deep breaths
By 34 weeks During pregnancy, the fetus in the uterus takes its final position from which it will be born. He has already grown so much that it is becoming a little cramped for him there - it is already difficult for him to roll over and spin around. In women who have given birth, the fetus sometimes changes its position even after this period. The activity of the fetus before birth decreases slightly, but even then it does not stop its movements. During late pregnancy, the fetus often sleeps at the same time as the mother.
All sensations of the expectant mother, who listens to the movement of her child, are very subjective, and you should not attach importance to the observations of other pregnant women and compare them with your own. Each fetus in the mother's womb, like every person, has its own individuality, temperament and develops in its own way. If something worries you, consult your doctor who is managing your pregnancy!
Prepared based on materials from the magazine.
Text: Nadezhda Smirnova
A frozen pregnancy is a condition in which the fetus inside the mother dies and the pregnancy stops developing. Most often, this occurs asymptomatically and the woman learns about her diagnosis only during a routine ultrasound.
Why does pregnancy stop?
The life of the fetus, especially in the first 12 weeks, is very fragile and can be cut short by any, even minor factors: air travel, prolonged exposure to the sun, stress, poor ecology, etc. Doctors name several of the most likely reasons for the fading of pregnancy in the early stages:
- congenital pathologies and malformations in the fetus— doctors consider this the most common reason and call it “natural selection”: nature interrupts the development of a “low-quality” fertilized egg and thus prevents the birth of a child with genetic abnormalities;
- the woman has infectious diseases(flu, herpes, rubella, chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, etc.) - this is the second most common cause;
- consequences of Rh conflict between mother and child or hormonal disorders.
In addition, the risk of fetal death in the early stages is significantly increased by the bad habits of the expectant mother: smoking, alcohol and, especially, drugs.
The fetus died, the pregnancy no longer develops, and the woman may not suspect anything. In the early stages, it is difficult to recognize the signs of a frozen pregnancy at home. But women, especially those who have already experienced a terrible diagnosis, carefully monitor the course of their new pregnancy. There are only indirect symptoms by which a pregnant woman may suspect something is wrong.
Unreasonable reduction or complete disappearance of toxicosis can be noticed, and even then not always. If a pregnant woman suffered from severe toxicosis, then its disappearance, of course, will not go unnoticed. And if the signs of toxicosis were weak, then little attention is paid to this factor.
Breast softening may indicate intrauterine fetal death. In almost all pregnant women, immediately after conception, the mammary glands swell and become painful. When the fetus dies, the chest relaxes. But you shouldn’t panic right away when this symptom appears. During 9 months of pregnancy, according to many women, the breasts can relax and tighten several times. This is most likely due to hormonal changes during pregnancy.
Decrease in basal temperature can be caused by a frozen pregnancy. This happens due to a decrease in the level of progesterone, the hormone that supports pregnancy. Basal temperature should be measured in the morning in the rectum as soon as you wake up. Prepare the thermometer in the evening, since it is important to remain motionless for at least 6 hours before and during measurements. But this method is also an unreliable indicator of fading pregnancy, as other factors can affect the value of basal temperature: taking hormonal drugs, sex, illness with elevated temperature, etc.
Bloody discharge and nagging pain in the lower abdomen do not always occur during frozen pregnancy. This is its difference from a miscarriage. But in any case, this is a very alarming sign during pregnancy, requiring immediate consultation with a doctor.
Discrepancy between the size of the uterus and the gestational age may be noticed by a gynecologist during a vaginal examination, but this fact does not always indicate that pregnancy is fading. In this case, the dynamics of pregnancy development are monitored. And if in 2-3 weeks the uterus has not grown, but, on the contrary, has become smaller and softer, then the doctor can make a preliminary diagnosis of “frozen pregnancy” and, to confirm it, send the patient for an hCG hormone test and an ultrasound.
Decreased hCG hormone H - a regular pregnancy test may respond to this indicator (show a negative result). But it is better to take a special analysis.
Ultrasound indications- this is the most reliable and reliable indicator confirming the presence of a frozen pregnancy. Errors occur only in the early stages of pregnancy, when the doctor may mistake it for an empty fertilized egg that is developing normally. In this case, if the patient’s condition does not cause concern, you can wait up to 6-7 weeks and repeat the ultrasound. At this stage, an experienced doctor, using modern equipment, can already clearly see the embryo and hear its heartbeat.
What's next?
If the terrible diagnosis is nevertheless confirmed, then two scenarios are possible.
First. Doctors wait for spontaneous miscarriage, while monitoring the woman’s health. They can help stimulate a miscarriage by administering special medications. This wait-and-see approach is most often followed by foreign doctors.
Second. After the diagnosis is confirmed, the woman is immediately sent to clean the uterus, without waiting for a miscarriage and possible negative consequences from it. Staying a dead fetus in the uterus for a long time can cause an inflammatory process. This option for terminating a frozen pregnancy is used by Russian doctors.
Doctors recommend planning your next pregnancy after a frozen one no earlier than six months later, or better yet, a year later. During this time, it is advisable for both parents to take tests and undergo an examination to identify the cause of fetal freezing.
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