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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Fetal Death Possible Beyond 40 Weeks?

I have a question regarding stillbirth options. I have a friend that is 43-44 weeks pregnant and she says that she was prescribed a pill to abort the baby. I think she is lying. What is done in the case that a baby is full term? How is fetal death handled at 40 plus weeks?
Wed, 18 May 2016
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Hello,
I have gone through your query and here are the clarifications: 1.Firstly, a pregnancy does not go beyond 42 weeks usually, at which time it is considered past dates and is induced. If your friend claims to be 43-44 weeks pregnant, it could be a miscalculation or faulty reporting. 2. Secondly, there are no pills to induce an abortion at this stage, and abortion is a term restricted to the early weeks of pregnancy up to the mid-trimester. It is termed 'labor' at this stage. 3. Lastly, given a live or dead fetus which is past dates, induction is done through medication given as vaginal application/slow drip. With proper monitoring, vaginal birth is tried in most cased with fetal death, while fetal response and progress determine the mode of delivery with a live fetus. Hope this helps.
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Is Fetal Death Possible Beyond 40 Weeks?

Hello, I have gone through your query and here are the clarifications: 1.Firstly, a pregnancy does not go beyond 42 weeks usually, at which time it is considered past dates and is induced. If your friend claims to be 43-44 weeks pregnant, it could be a miscalculation or faulty reporting. 2. Secondly, there are no pills to induce an abortion at this stage, and abortion is a term restricted to the early weeks of pregnancy up to the mid-trimester. It is termed labor at this stage. 3. Lastly, given a live or dead fetus which is past dates, induction is done through medication given as vaginal application/slow drip. With proper monitoring, vaginal birth is tried in most cased with fetal death, while fetal response and progress determine the mode of delivery with a live fetus. Hope this helps.