Initial evaluation of suspected fetal growth abnormality includes accurately determining gestational age and then distinguishing between a fetus that is constitutionally small but normal and a fetus with true fetal growth restriction (estimation of fetal weight usually <3rd percentile, evidence…
Bleeding in the later stages of pregnancy has been described as “third-trimester bleeding” or “antepartum hemorrhage.” Late-pregnancy bleeding is a significant cause of maternal and fetal morbidity, fetal mortality, and preterm delivery. Traditional accounts of such bleeding have addressed placenta…
Epidemiology Stillbirth, defined as fetal death at 20 weeks’ gestation or more, is one of the most common adverse pregnancy outcomes, with an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths at 28 weeks’ gestation or more occurring worldwide annually. , It has been…
Pregnancy loss is the most common complication of pregnancy; up to 70% of all fertilized eggs and approximately 20% of all clinically recognized pregnancies will not result in a live birth. Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects 1% to 2% of…
Acknowledgment This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institutes of Health. The views expressed in this chapter are those of the…
Rupture of the fetal membranes is an integral part of parturition at term and is anticipated in the processes of both spontaneous term and preterm birth. Spontaneous rupture of the membranes at term and preterm can occur any time before…
Preterm birth is the principal unsolved problem in perinatal medicine. The rate of preterm birth in the United States has been rising since 2015 to 10.23% in 2019. Advances in care have improved outcomes for preterm infants, but prematurity is…
The incidence of twin deliveries has fluctuated in the United States over the past several decades with an increase in incidence through the late 20th century ( Table 37.1 ). This was followed by a brief period of stabilization and…
Hydrops fetalis is the term used to describe generalized edema accompanied by collections of fluid in serous spaces in the fetus and neonate. Since first described almost 80 years ago, nonimmune hydrops (NIH) has become far more common than hydrops…
History Hippocrates recognized hydrops fetalis as long ago as 400 BC, according to Ballantyne, who accepted Hippocrates’ account as the first reported cases of the syndrome. The first clear-cut description of hydrops fetalis, however, did not occur until 1641 when…