In October, the mother-to-be should go to the regular hospital for regular checkups, not only to ensure the health of the mother, but also to prevent the fetus from developing bad conditions. If you are pregnant for the first time, do you know what factors can affect the development of the fetus? Today, let me tell you one by one. The mother’s nutritional status The mother’s good nutritional status is the basis for the fetus to get enough nutrients, and a normal placenta is an important condition for the fetus to get nutrients. If the nutrition during pregnancy is seriously insufficient, the growth and development of the fetus will be seriously hampered. Nowadays, pregnant mothers pay much attention to nutritional supplementation, so we will not go into details here. Placenta The strength of the placenta has an important influence on the growth of the fetus. The weight of the placenta is an important indicator of the function of the placenta, and therefore the weight ratio of the placenta to the fetus is often used to indicate the functional status of the placenta. Statistics show that the greater the placenta to fetal weight ratio, the faster the fetal growth rate. Fetal genotype and parental genetic factors The genetic makeup of the fetus, i.e. genotype, obviously controls fetal growth and neonatal weight. According to research, the role of fetal genotype accounts for about 20% of the factors that determine the weight of a newborn. For example, the genotype of male fetuses can increase the weight of newborns; therefore, male newborns weigh on average 150-200 grams more than female newborns. Abnormalities of sex chromosomes and autosomes are usually accompanied by fetal growth retardation. For example, in Turner syndrome (45, X0), the weight of the newborn is 10% to 20% lower than normal Maternal diseases Any kind of chronic wasting disease of the mother can have a negative impact on fetal growth. Any disease that causes maternal hypoxia resulting in insufficient oxygen supply to the fetus, such as anemia, heart disease, chronic glomerulonephritis, etc., can cause fetal growth retardation, which can lead to miscarriage and even death in severe cases. The most common disease affecting fetal growth is maternal cardiovascular disease, which interferes with the uteroplacental blood circulation, and then affects the material exchange of the placenta, resulting in fetal growth retardation. Biological teratogenic factors Some pathogenic microorganisms can cross the placental barrier and act directly on the embryo; some microorganisms do not act directly on the embryo, but affect the mother and the placenta, causing maternal fever, hypoxia, dehydration, shock, etc. or causing changes in placental function and destruction of the placental barrier, thus indirectly affecting the growth and development of the embryo. 1, Rubella virus and cytomegalovirus can not only cause fetal growth retardation, but also fetal malformation. 2.Rubella virus was one of the first biological teratogens to be discovered. Infection with rubella virus in early pregnancy can cause cataracts and heart malformations in about 15% to 20% of fetuses, as well as small heads, small eyes, congenital deafness and other malformations; infection with rubella virus in middle and late pregnancy can affect the functional development of the fetal central nervous system and ear. Cytomegalovirus acts directly on the embryo through the placental barrier, and the earlier the infection, the greater the risk. The most frequent malformations are microcephaly, microphthalmia, hydrocephalus, congenital deafness, and mental retardation. This virus has a high rate of infection in the population. 4. Herpes simplex virus often causes microcephaly, microphthalmia, short fingers (toes), heart malformation, clouding of the lens. Hydrocephalus, cerebral hypoplasia. This virus has a high rate of infection in the population. 5. Toxoplasma gondii and syphilis spirochetes can also interfere with fetal development, especially syphilis spirochetes can destroy the placenta, directly infect the embryo and interfere with fetal development, thus causing hydrocephalus, malformed teeth, congenital deafness, mental retardation, etc. The specific mechanism by which intrauterine infection affects fetal growth and development varies depending on the infecting pathogenic microorganism. Fever can inhibit fetal growth and even lead to malformation of embryonic development. Drugs A variety of drugs are known to cause fetal growth retardation in humans, such as ethanol, anesthetics, phenobarbital, folic acid antagonists, prednisone, etc. Methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, cyclophosphamide and other antineoplastic drugs can cause a variety of malformations. Certain antibiotics have teratogenic effects on fetal development, such as tetracycline can cause fetal tooth enamel hypoplasia. High-dose, long-term injection of streptomycin during pregnancy can interfere with the development of the embryonic hearing organs and cause congenital deafness. Early in pregnancy, longer-term application of sex hormones can interfere with the normal differentiation of the embryonic reproductive system and even lead to malformations of the reproductive system. Tobacco and alcohol Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause a variety of malformations, called fetal alcohol syndrome, whose main manifestations are developmental delay, small head, small eyes, short eye slits, small eye spacing, mental retardation, heart and joint malformations, etc. Statistics show that the rate of fetal growth retardation is 7% to 8% for light and moderate drinkers during pregnancy; for heavy drinkers, the incidence of fetal growth retardation can be as high as 27%. Smoking can cause a reduction in the weight and length of the newborn, and the degree of reduction is directly proportional to the amount of smoking during pregnancy. The teratogenic effects of smoking are also receiving increasing attention, leading to fetal death and miscarriage in severe cases. Epidemiological surveys have shown that the average weight of newborns born to smokers is significantly lower than that of nonsmokers, and the more they smoke, the lighter their newborn weight. Pregnant women who smoke less than 10 cigarettes a day have a 10% higher risk of fetal malformations than non-smoking pregnant women; pregnant women who smoke more than 30 cigarettes a day have a 90% higher risk of fetal malformations. Smoking is mainly due to nicotine and other substances that cause vasoconstriction of the placenta and fetal ischemia and hypoxia, which leads to fetal malformations. Other harmful substances produced by smoking, such as cyanide, can also affect the normal development of the fetus. Passive smoking by pregnant women can also be harmful to the fetus. For the normal development of the fetus, the above factors should be eliminated during pregnancy.