Early detection of fetal abnormalities to avoid regret

Death and lifelong sequelae

Just a few days after giving birth, Ms. P.'s son in Hai Duong City breathed his last, causing the whole family extreme pain. Although the incident happened more than a year ago, she still cannot get over it. "Due to lack of knowledge, I did not go for a screening during pregnancy, but only had a regular ultrasound at the clinic. When I was 24 weeks pregnant, I felt uncomfortable so I went to the hospital and found out that the fetus had a genetic defect. The doctor said that my child would only live a few days at birth and it was really painful when that happened," Ms. P. said sadly.

The life of Ms. D. and her husband in Tu Ky is already difficult, but now it is even more difficult because they have to take care of two sons with cerebral palsy at the same time. The muscles in the bodies of her two children are always in a state of stiffness or flaccidity. The children almost always sit in wheelchairs specifically for people with cerebral palsy, and all activities depend on the care of their parents.

Ms. D. said that when she was pregnant with her first child, she was completely healthy so she only had an ultrasound at a private medical facility near her home. When she was pregnant with her second child, she was more careful and went to the doctor regularly. But the final result was that her child still had cerebral palsy. "I also had an ultrasound and did all the tests but there were no results. It could be because the equipment or the level of the doctor where I went for an examination was limited," Ms. D. said.

According to the General Department of Population and Family Planning, each year, Vietnam discovers more than 40,000 cases of congenital malformations. The number of newborn deaths due to congenital malformations is about 1,700 cases. A survey at Hai Duong Obstetrics Hospital shows that on average, for every 100 women who come for examination, 2-3 cases will be discovered to have fetal malformations.

Congenital malformations are abnormalities in the structure or function of organs and body parts of the fetus. There are many types of congenital malformations such as cleft lip, cleft palate, clubfoot, clubfoot, anal defects, spina bifida, fetal neural tube defects, Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau syndrome...

The impact of congenital defects on the baby's health also depends on the severity of the defect. Some mild congenital defects may not require treatment or intervention for the baby to be born and grow up normally. However, with severe cases, doctors are forced to recommend that pregnant women "terminate the pregnancy" because the baby may die or be physically, mentally, or intellectually disabled for life.

Third pregnancy women need to pay attention

There are more and more fetuses with birth defects. Any pregnant woman is at risk of having a fetus with birth defects. There are many causes of birth defects such as pregnant women at an advanced age, having infectious diseases, often having to work in a toxic environment, stress, fatigue, high fever, using drugs without a doctor's prescription, being exposed to cigarette smoke....

According to specialist II Bui Quang Trung, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Family Planning, Hai Duong Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, pregnant women aged 40 and over or pregnant for the third time must pay close attention to prenatal screening. Recently, the number of fetuses discovered to have congenital malformations is common in these groups of people.

In fact, many children in Hai Duong are born with disabilities that will last a lifetime, greatly affecting their appearance, quality of life, and even causing economic exhaustion for their families. To minimize the possibility of a fetus with disabilities, doctors recommend that women give birth to their first child between the ages of 25-30, and 2-5 years after giving birth to their second child. Before becoming pregnant, women need to go for a check-up, screening, and risk assessment. Regular check-ups and screenings throughout the pregnancy are even more important.

A number of pregnant women today only have regular ultrasounds at clinics. However, this is a misconception because ultrasound is only part of pregnancy management. To know if the fetus has congenital malformations, it is necessary to see a doctor and do screening tests.

According to doctors, during pregnancy, the mother will have to go for check-ups and screening many times, but there are some important milestones to pay attention to. These are when the fetus is 11-13 weeks, 22 weeks and 32 weeks. These are the stages where doctors will check weight, measure blood pressure, urine test, blood test and ultrasound to assess the mother's health and the development of the fetus. The doctor will also order tests and ultrasound to check for major abnormalities that can occur at this gestational age such as anencephaly, umbilical hernia, large bladder and especially measure the nuchal translucency to assess whether the fetus is at risk of Down syndrome and some chromosomal abnormalities such as Edward's or Patau's disease or not...

Not only hospitals but also many specialized clinics today can perform examination and screening techniques for fetal abnormalities using modern equipment. However, Dr. Bui Quang Trung noted that pregnant women need to choose reputable facilities with experienced doctors. Just going for a regular ultrasound check-up at small clinics will make it difficult to detect fetal abnormalities.