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A small fetomaternal hemorrhage could cause an increase in maternal antigens, while a large fetomaternal hemorrhage could cause fetal anemia and death. [21] [22] Fetal bradycardia, low heart rate, is another complication that may occur. [23] Most cases of fetal bradycardia are self-resolved within five minutes. [9]
Cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) is fetal DNA that circulates freely in the maternal blood. Maternal blood is sampled by venipuncture. Analysis of cffDNA is a method of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis frequently ordered for pregnant women of advanced age. Two hours after delivery, cffDNA is no longer detectable in maternal blood.
Subsequent staining, using Shepard's method, [5] makes fetal cells (containing foetal hemoglobin) appear rose-pink in color, while adult red blood cells are only seen as "ghosts". 2000 cells are counted under the microscope and a percentage of foetal to maternal cells is calculated. Fetal-maternal haemorrhage can also be diagnosed by flow ...
Maternal–fetal medicine (MFM), also known as perinatology, is a branch of medicine that focuses on managing health concerns of the mother and fetus prior to, during, and shortly after pregnancy. Maternal–fetal medicine specialists are physicians who subspecialize within the field of obstetrics. [1]
Many other fetal outcomes have been studied, including Apgar score (a quick assessment of a newborn's health status) at 5 minutes and length of hospitalization after delivery. While both measures are worse for newborns delivered after cord prolapse, [ 8 ] it is unclear what effect this has in the long-term.
The fetal Rh can be screened using non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). This test can screen for the fetus's Rh antigen (positive or negative) at the 10th week of gestation using a blood sample drawn from the mother. The Unity test uses NGS technology to look for Rh alleles (genes) in the cell free fetal DNA in the maternal bloodstream.
Circulating cffDNA can be detected in maternal blood between the 5th and the 7th week of gestational age, [12] however more fetal DNA is available for analysis usually after 10 weeks, because the amount of fetal DNA increases over time. [13] cffDNA, RNA and intact fetal cells can all be used to assess the genetic status of the fetus non-invasively.
Umbilical cord compression can result from, for example, entanglement of the cord, [16] a knot in the cord, [16] or a nuchal cord, [16] (which is the wrapping of the umbilical cord around the fetal neck) [17] but these conditions do not always cause obstruction of fetal circulation. Velamentous cord insertion; Single umbilical artery; Umbilical ...