iugr – intrauterine growth retardation

IUGR stands for Intrauterine Growth Retardation. Very simply it means that the fetus (your baby) is not growing as fast as it should. There are risks of serious problems developing in an iugr baby. An iugr baby weighs less than 9 out of 10 other babies at your stage of pregnancy. Or your Doctor might use the term percentile and in that case your baby’s weight is in the 10th percentile. If your baby is afflicted by iugr then he or she will have a higher risk of injury or even death than a baby who has a normal gestational weight. It is believed that smoking can inhibit your baby’s growth. Also if you (the Mother) gain too little weight during pregnancy then it can influence whether your baby has IUGR. Obviously not smoking and good nutrition are very important for a pregnant woman and should begin BEFORE pregnancy begins. There is evidence to suggest that a woman consuming 1500 calories or less, per day, during pregnancy is more likely to have an IUGR baby. Other factors such as blood flow restrictions, especially pre eclampsia, or high blood pressure (hypertension) in the Mother can limit normal fetal growth. Other causes of IUGR are kidney disease, altitude (if you live at high altitudes), alcoholism, drug use, multiple fetuses, fetal infections, or problems with the umbilical cord. Clearly this is a long list of possible causes and illustrates why regular Doctor visits are so important. A Doctor will check how your uterus is growing and if it is not growing normally this can indicate IUGR. A baby with IUGR is at risk of dying before delivery and sometimes delivering before full term (maybe via C-Section to reduce fetal distress) is the best course of action.