What does intrauterine distress mean?

Intrauterine distress mostly occurs when the fetus suffers from acute or chronic hypoxia in the uterus, which can endanger the baby's life. Fetal distress is actually a syndrome and is one of the current indications for cesarean section. Generally speaking, there are many reasons for fetal distress, most of which are caused by insufficient blood supply to the mother, and there may also be abnormalities caused by the fetus itself.

Symptoms of fetal distress

1. Fetal heart rate changes

The earliest and most common clinical manifestation of fetal distress is fetal heart rate changes. Fetal tachycardia of 160 to 180 beats/min is the initial signal of fetal distress. This stage lasts a very short time. As hypoxia worsens, the fetal heart rate gradually slows down to 119 to 100 beats/min, followed by arrhythmia, and more significant bradycardia. The fetal heart rate is ≤99 beats/min, and the heart sounds are sometimes strong and sometimes weak. Finally, the heart rate becomes slower and slower, the arrhythmia becomes more serious, and the heart sounds become gradually low and weak. The fetus is in a state of dying, and eventually the heart stops beating and the fetus dies in utero.

2. Growth stops

After hypoxia, the growth of the fetus will also be slow, and the weight, uterine height, and abdominal circumference of the pregnant woman will continue to remain unchanged or grow very slowly. Due to the pregnant woman's own ischemia and hypoxia, the fetus will suffer from ischemia and hypoxia, which will affect the fetal development. Therefore, the pregnant woman herself does not have an obvious subjective feeling. Only during prenatal examination will it be discovered that the fetal heart rate slows down or speeds up (that is, slower than, or faster than), and the fetal movement decreases (less than times per hour). In addition, due to fetal distress in the uterus, severe miscarriage, premature birth, and intrauterine fetal death may occur. Therefore, the fetus will not grow and develop, so the pregnant woman's body shape will show that the weight, uterine height, and abdominal circumference will continue to not grow or grow very slowly.

3. Abnormal fetal movement

Fetal movement is one of the vital signs of the fetus and can be used to understand the safety of the fetus in the womb. At the same time, fetal movement is the only one that can be felt by pregnant women. It is also a good way for pregnant women to monitor themselves, with a reliability of more than 80%. Normal fetal movement is 3-5 times/h, or 30 times/12h. If it is less than or equal to 20 times/12h, it indicates that the fetus may be suffering from hypoxia; if it is less than or equal to 10 times/12h, or lower than 50% of the usual regular fetal movement number, it indicates that the fetus is obviously suffering from hypoxia. In acute hypoxia, the fetal movement is often abnormally frequent, then weakened and reduced in frequency, and then disappeared; chronic hypoxia is mainly manifested by reduced fetal movement and then disappearance. Therefore, frequent fetal movements or reduced fetal movements are both signs of fetal hypoxia; when the fetus's life is threatened, the fetus will have abnormal fetal movements, such as strong, continuous pushing and twisting movements or kicking, or even weak fetal movements. The mother feels a sudden and rapid movement of the fetus, which then suddenly stops after a period of time and disappears. This is because the fetus suffocates due to lack of oxygen. Once fetal movement disappears, the fetus may die at any time, and the time of death is mostly 12 to 72 hours after the fetal movement disappears.