What is fetal death in utero?

Intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), or stillbirth, is the medical term for a baby that dies in the womb after the 20th week of pregnancy. Intrauterine fetal demise is never the desired outcome of pregnancy, but it can happen for a variety of reasons such as a genetic disease or infection.

What is the difference between stillbirth and IUFD?

Early intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) was defined as intrauterine death < 20 weeks, late IUFD was death at 20–23 weeks and stillbirth was death ≥ 24 weeks.

How common is intrauterine fetal demise?

Second trimester intrauterine fetal death is typically recognized as a demise after 20 weeks of gestation or a fetal weight of more than 500 grams. It affects about 1 in 100 pregnancies each year in the United States, and the rate has declined by more than 25% in the last 15 years.

What is the most common cause of IUFD?

Hyper-coiled cord (HCC) and umbilical ring constrictions were the most frequent cause of IUFD in both periods. The relatively decreased prevalence of IUFD due to velamentous cord insertion and umbilical cord entanglement, HCC and umbilical cord constriction was increased.

What are signs of fetal death?

Symptoms may include:

  • Stopping of fetal movement and kicks.
  • Spotting or bleeding.
  • No fetal heartbeat heard with stethoscope or Doppler.
  • No fetal movement or heartbeat seen on ultrasound, which makes the definitive diagnosis that a baby is stillborn. Other symptoms may or may not be linked to stillbirth.

What are the complication of IUFD?

Most common complication associated with IUFD was Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) in 18 (22.5%) followed by Sepsis in 8 (10%), Acute Renal Failure (ARF) in 3 (3.7%), Maternal mortality in 1 (1.2%). Conclusions: Anemia, PIH, accidental haemorrhage were leading causes of IUFD.

What are the signs of fetal death?

Radiographic features

  • absent fetal heartbeat.
  • absent fetal movements.
  • occasional findings. overlapping of skull bones (Spalding sign) gross distortion of fetal anatomy (maceration) soft tissue edema: skin >5 mm.
  • uncommon findings. thrombus in fetal heart. gas shadow in fetal heart (Robert sign)​

How can intrauterine fetal death be prevented?

The following antenatal services can significantly reduce both antepartum and intrapartum fetal deaths:

  1. Detection and treatment of syphilis.
  2. Detection and management of hypertensive disease of pregnancy.
  3. Management of sickle cell disease.
  4. Detection and Management of Diabetes.

What caused IUFD?

The leading cause of IUFD in 2001-2007 was fetal abnormalities (43.2%), the prevalence of which was only 8.6% in 2008-2014 (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the prevalence of umbilical cord abnormalities was relatively increased from 30.0% in 2001-2007 to 54.5% in 2008-2014 (P=0.06).

Can anemia cause IUFD?

Many gynecological and infectious diseases are predisposing factors for anemia during pregnancy. Anemia during pregnancy—especially the severe form—can lead to various maternal and perinatal adverse effects such as preterm labor, low birth weight, and intrauterine fetal death.

What is more risk factor for fetal death?

Results: The risk factors associated to fetal death were abruptio placentae, syphilis, few prenatal care visits, one or more previous stillbirths, hospitalization during pregnancy, diabetes, age above or equal to 25 years, hypertension during pregnancy, anemia and age below 20 years.