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Fetal Health and Development

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Basics

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Diagnosis and Tests

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Summary

A normal pregnancy lasts nine months. Each three-month period of pregnancy is called a trimester. During each trimester, the fetus grows and develops. Regular medical checkups and prenatal tests are very important. They can:

Help keep you and your baby healthy
Spot problems with your baby (if there are any). In some cases, health care professionals can treat the problem before your baby is born. But even when they cannot, it can still be helpful to know about the problem early on. That gives you time to learn about your baby's condition and prepare for any challenges you may face after the baby is born.
Prevent problems during delivery. For example, if your baby is breech (bottom first or feet first, instead of head first), you may need to have a Cesarean section to avoid complications.

Besides getting medical care, there are other things you can do to keep your baby as healthy as possible. It's important not to drink or smoke. Try to eat a healthy diet and make sure to take care of any health problems you have during pregnancy.

Start Here

Stages of Pregnancy (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Diagnosis and Tests

Prenatal Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

What Are the Risks of Preeclampsia and Eclampsia to the Fetus? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Fetal Growth Restriction (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Hydrops Fetalis/Erythroblastosis Fetalis (Children's Hospital and Health System, Inc.)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Development (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
How to Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Fetal development (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Intrauterine growth restriction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Fetal Health and Development is the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Fetal Health and Development

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.

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