Fetal macrosomia

Fetal macrosomia-what does it mean?

Macrosomia, often used interchangeably with fetal hypertrophy, means a baby that is too large for gestational age. Macrosomia should be used to refer to born newborns, and hypertrophy to pre-born babies. Nevertheless, the two terms function interchangeably on a daily basis.

A baby that is too large for gestational age (LGA) is said to be too large for gestational age when its estimated weight exceeds the 90th percentile at a given week of pregnancy. On the other hand, about macrosomia often when his birth weight exceeds 4 kilograms.

Causes of fetal macrosomia

One of the most common causes of fetal macrosomia is maternal diabetes. This is when the child’s body fat grows excessively, resulting in too much weight. There is also a higher risk of macrosomia if a woman has already given birth to high birth weight babies and if she herself is struggling with obesity. The risk also increases after 35. year of age.

Fetal macrosomia – complications

Too much weight for gestational age can be associated with serious complications for both the baby and the mother. In the case of macrosomia, the risk of shoulder dystocia during natural childbirth, that is, the shoulders becoming wedged in the birth canal, increases significantly. In turn, this can cause injuries such as brachial plexus palsy and clavicle fractures. Children whose mothers had poorly controlled diabetes experience hypoglycemia at birth, in addition to excessive weight. Children of mothers with diabetes are also more likely to have problems with obesity and metabolic syndrome in the future.

For a pregnant woman, fetal macrosomia can also carry complications. Among them, the most common are perinatal injuries to the birth canal, uterine rupture in the cesarean section scar, or worse uterine contraction after delivery and postpartum hemorrhage associated with it.

Fetal macrosomia – how to prevent it?

In order to avoid too much weight in relation to the gestational age of the baby, you should first of all take care of your weight during pregnancy. The more a woman weighs before pregnancy, the less weight she should gain during pregnancy. Adequate physical activity is also important, if there are no medical contraindications to it. Regular walking and movement can reduce the weight gain of the mother-to-be, and thus the risk of fetal macrosomia. In the case of diabetes, it is important to maintain normal blood glucose levels so as not to lead to abnormal diabetes control and the development of macrosomia.

Read more: Gestational diabetes.