National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Fetal Health and Development is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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National Institutes of Health
Fetal Health and Development
A normal pregnancy lasts nine months. Each three-month period of pregnancy is called a trimester. During each trimester, the fetus grows and develops. There are specific prenatal tests to monitor both the mother's health and fetal health during each trimester.
With modern technology, health professionals can
- Detect birth defects
- Identify problems that may affect childbirth
- Correct some kinds of fetal problems before the baby is born
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Start Here
- How Your Baby Grows During Pregnancy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
- Stages of Pregnancy(Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
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Overviews
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How Your Baby Grows
(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- 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)
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How Your Baby Grows
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Latest News
- Thin Placenta Might Be Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death Later in Life(09/20/2012, HealthDay)
- Pregnant Mothers' Gut Changes May Support Fetal Growth(08/02/2012, HealthDay)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
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MedlinePlus: Prenatal Testing(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
- Pregnancy - 1st Trimester: Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
- Pregnancy - 2nd Trimester: Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
- Pregnancy - 3rd Trimester: Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
- Special Tests for Monitoring Fetal Health(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
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MedlinePlus: Prenatal Testing
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Treatment
- Fetal Interventions(Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions)
- Prenatal Surgery: Helping Babies Before Birth(Nemours Foundation)
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Specific Conditions
- Detecting Kidney and Urinary Tract Abnormalities Before Birth(National Kidney Foundation)
- Detection of a Heart Defect in the Fetus(American Heart Association)
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Fetal Circulation(American Heart Association)
- Fetal Conditions, Abnormalities and Diagnoses(Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center)
- Fetal Heart(Texas Heart Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Fetal Macrosomia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Fundal Height: An Accurate Indicator of Fetal Growth?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction (LUTO)(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Sacrococcygeal Teratoma (SCT)(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
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Related Issues
- Avoid Fetal "Keepsake" Images, Heartbeat Monitors(Food and Drug Administration)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Development(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Development
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Research
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Surgery on Fetus Reduces Complications of Spina Bifida(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Surgery on Fetus Reduces Complications of Spina Bifida
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Directories
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
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Organizations
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
