Postterm pregnancy is defined as a pregnancy that lasted for ≥42 weeks of gestation or ≥294 days from the first day of the last menstrual period. This condition results in many complications such as fetal or neonatal death, meconium aspiration syndrome, decreased amniotic fluid, a larger newborn than normal, difficult delivery, vaginal tears, and an increased rate of cesarean delivery. Nearly 10% of all pregnancies are postterm pregnancies.
Most of the symptoms affect the newborn, not the mother.
Mother :
Reduced fetal movement before delivery
Reduction in the size of the uterus
Stained amniotic fluid that appears after membrane rupture
Newborn :
Thin wrinkled peeling skin
Thin body
Long hair
Long nails
Frequent passage of stool
Visit your Gynaecologist regularly to avoid postterm pregnancy
The cause of this condition is still unknown, but many risk factors may contribute to the occurrence of this condition.
Risk factors :
First-time pregnancy
Previous postterm pregnancy
The pregnant woman herself is a product of postterm pregnancy
Male fetus
Obesity
Hormonal factors
Diagnosis depends on knowing the accurate pregnancy date and doing routine ultrasound examinations to know if fetal development is consistent with the known pregnancy date.
· Ultrasound (an imaging procedure in which ultrasound waves are used to produce an image of the fetus).
To avoid negative maternal and fetal consequences of postterm pregnancy, induction of labor should be done at week 41 of pregnancy.
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