Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
What Causes IUGR In A 36 Weeks Pregnant Woman?
Question: My daughter is 36 weeks pregnant with a single baby and has been diagnosed with UGr. She has weekly ultrasounds and non stress tests along with a weekly doppler study. Her baby weighs 4 poinds 5 ozs. All her test are great. Her fluid ranges from 10 to 15. She had a cerclage several weeks back. What would casue UGR is a very healthy 28 yo? What is the prognosis for a eventual healthy baby?
YYYY@YYYY
She had the verify blood test at 13 weeks to check for chromosonal abnormalities and it came back negative.
YYYY@YYYY
She had the verify blood test at 13 weeks to check for chromosonal abnormalities and it came back negative.
Brief Answer:
IUGR can have many causes, but your daughter's baby is healthy
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Suspected IUGR (because the true weight of the baby is only possible at. birth) can have many causes, and is diagnosed when a baby is less that 10% of it's expected weight by ultrasound at a given gestational age.
There are many possibilities causes of IUGR. Chromosomal abnormalities are one of them, but fortunately that was already ruled out by your daughter's genetic screening.
The second major cause is vascular changes in the placenta, or some small separation of the placenta, which can make the baby get less nutrients and affect the baby's growth.
The fact that your daughter had premature dilation (I assume so because she had a cerclage placed) is an indication that something was possibly developing slowly for a long time.
Fortunately, the baby is completely normal on the NST's, and the fact that there is a normal amount of amniotic fluid indicates that the baby is healthy and there is no urgency to deliver the baby right now.
Because they estimate the baby to be over 4 pounds, if it can make it past 37 weeks, the likelihood is that it will not have to go to the neonatal ICU. Most babies at that weight do just fine after birth.
So I would not worry too much about your daughter's situation; suspected IUGR is (by definition) 10% of all pregancies) and many times the ultrasound can even be wrong and the baby bigger than expected.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that this information was reassuring. If you need anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes to your daughter for the rest of her pregnancy,
Dr. Brown
IUGR can have many causes, but your daughter's baby is healthy
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Suspected IUGR (because the true weight of the baby is only possible at. birth) can have many causes, and is diagnosed when a baby is less that 10% of it's expected weight by ultrasound at a given gestational age.
There are many possibilities causes of IUGR. Chromosomal abnormalities are one of them, but fortunately that was already ruled out by your daughter's genetic screening.
The second major cause is vascular changes in the placenta, or some small separation of the placenta, which can make the baby get less nutrients and affect the baby's growth.
The fact that your daughter had premature dilation (I assume so because she had a cerclage placed) is an indication that something was possibly developing slowly for a long time.
Fortunately, the baby is completely normal on the NST's, and the fact that there is a normal amount of amniotic fluid indicates that the baby is healthy and there is no urgency to deliver the baby right now.
Because they estimate the baby to be over 4 pounds, if it can make it past 37 weeks, the likelihood is that it will not have to go to the neonatal ICU. Most babies at that weight do just fine after birth.
So I would not worry too much about your daughter's situation; suspected IUGR is (by definition) 10% of all pregancies) and many times the ultrasound can even be wrong and the baby bigger than expected.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that this information was reassuring. If you need anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes to your daughter for the rest of her pregnancy,
Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
