The fetus has short head and thighs, which is Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a congenital disease caused by chromosomal abnormalities. The incidence of this type of disease increases with the age of the pregnant woman. Women need to be screened for diseases such as Down syndrome during pregnancy. So does a baby with a short head and short thighs indicate Down syndrome?

If a pregnant woman is pregnant with a baby with Down syndrome, examination will show that the baby's head is large, the biparietal diameter of the baby is much larger than the standard value, the growth of the limbs is relatively slow, and the distance between the eyes is significantly widened. However, a fetus cannot be diagnosed as having Down syndrome simply by having a large head and short feet. It must undergo relevant tests before it can be diagnosed. Testing methods include amniocentesis and DNA testing.

If a pregnant woman shows a high-risk test result, she should end the pregnancy as soon as possible. Because after being born, children with Down syndrome not only have a unique Down syndrome appearance, but are also often accompanied by severe intellectual disabilities and various organ diseases, such as digestive tract malformations, congenital heart disease, sepsis, etc.

The reasons why pregnant women may have a baby with Down syndrome are quite complicated, including viral infection during pregnancy, chromosomal abnormalities in either spouse, and taking some fetal malformation treatment drugs during pregnancy. Down syndrome screening is very important, and the best time to check Down syndrome screening is 12-24 weeks of pregnancy.

If a woman has an ultrasound in the late pregnancy and finds that the fetus has a large head and short legs, this is not necessarily a child with Down syndrome. It may also be hydrocephalus, or fetal head deformity, or even caused by chromosomal abnormalities. The main symptoms of a child with Down syndrome are not necessarily a short head and short thighs. And because of the genetic factors of the parents, the fetus may also have physiologically shorter head and shorter legs. Therefore, at this time, the diagnosis should be based on the previous Down screening results, or direct minimally invasive surgery, rather than simply looking at the B-ultrasound results for judgment.