Can cerebral palsy be detected during pregnancy?

Important reminder: There have been many cases of babies born with cerebral palsy in recent years. This is usually caused by serious air pollution or improper diet. Regular prenatal check-ups are required during pregnancy to reduce the probability of the fetus having cerebral palsy, but general prenatal check-ups cannot detect children with cerebral palsy.

Generally, prenatal examinations will check the fetal heartbeat, whether the fetal limbs are fully developed, etc. It is impossible to detect whether a child has cerebral palsy. It is necessary to wait until some time after the child is born to detect whether cerebral palsy exists. Therefore, prenatal examinations must be done during pregnancy to avoid exposure to environmental and mental stimulation to reduce the probability of having a baby with cerebral palsy.

1. Prenatal check-ups can only detect whether there are any abnormalities in the fetus's chromosomes, or whether there are any abnormalities in the mental structure. In particular, the cause of cerebral palsy is not only congenital growth and development, but also due to lack of oxygen during childbirth. Therefore, it cannot be diagnosed before delivery. During pregnancy, the baby's limbs, internal organs, and congenital idiocy, hydrocephalus, cleft lip, etc. can be checked, but cerebral palsy cannot be detected.

2. If the fetus suffers from anoxic brain disease due to lack of oxygen, the resulting cerebral palsy cannot be detected during pregnancy. It must be diagnosed after the child has grown to a certain stage and the symptoms can be detected when compared with normal children, or when there are obvious symptoms of brain damage after birth.

3. Cerebral palsy in children is not easy to detect during pregnancy. The reason is that B-ultrasound examination is only an ultrasonic imaging examination and cannot examine the brain tissue inside the skull. Therefore, cerebral palsy is not easy to detect. However, B-ultrasound can detect external deformities. B-ultrasound examination can only observe the fetal tissue structure, accurately measure the size of the head and the length of the body, and make a rough judgment on whether the fetus has any deformities. However, it is still impossible to determine whether the fetus's brain tissue and cerebral nerves are damaged. If you want to diagnose whether your baby has cerebral palsy, you must undergo a full physical examination as well as CT and MRI examinations. Therefore, it is impossible to detect cerebral palsy simply through B-ultrasound examination.

Generally, prenatal examinations cannot detect cerebral palsy. During pregnancy, maintain a good environment. Especially when preparing to become pregnant, it is best to do a gynecological examination and maintain a positive attitude. Pregnancy at this time can reduce the probability of having a baby with cerebral palsy, so you can pay more attention.