Fetal Health and Development

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

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) Also in Spanish
• Your Baby's Development: The First Trimester (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Your Baby's Development: The Second Trimester (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Your Baby's Development: The Third Trimester (American Academy of Family Physicians)

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) Also in Spanish
• 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)

• Article: Maternal iron nutrition during pregnancy and fetal intrauterine growth.
• Article: The Role of Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA in Fetal Development.
• Article: Associations between gestational exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances, fetal growth, and the...
• Fetal Health and Development -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• How to Find 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