The status of the umbilical cord 2 blood vessels in pregnancy should be tightly controlled to avoid risks to the fetus in the future. The following information will help you to better understand the problem to take countermeasures.
Pregnancy is an extremely happy period but equally difficult. During the 9 months of pregnancy, you will experience many challenges related to the health complications that arise during pregnancy. One of the problems is that the umbilical cord has two blood vessels.
The umbilical cord is the junction between the fetal skin and the mother's placenta. The function of this organ is the conduit for supplying blood and nutrients to the fetus as well as helping the fetus to transport waste products out of the body. Usually the umbilical cord will have 3 blood vessels:
1 vein: Transport nutrients and oxygen to the fetus.
2 arteries: Transporting fetal waste back to the placenta and mother's blood stream.
In some cases, the umbilical cord contains only 2 vessels: 1 vein and 1 artery. This is called the umbilical cord 2 blood vessels and usually doesn't show any signs. You can only know this through diagnosis.
There are several tests to determine if you have the umbilical cord with 2 blood vessels:
During an ultrasound, the doctor will observe the blood vessels in the umbilical cord.
The chance of getting this condition is 1.5%.
The umbilical cord 2 blood vessels, also known as the only umbilical artery, will not affect the pregnancy too much. Therefore, you do not need to worry too much about your baby's development in the womb. However, there are a few things you should know:
If this happens, the single artery takes over the function of the two vessels and maintains a healthy pregnancy. However, there are also some cases where this can affect the baby's development and cause death in the fetus.
The umbilical cord is closely related to the baby's heart and kidneys. If there is a problem with the umbilical cord, these 2 organs may be affected.
The doctor will closely monitor the baby's kidney and heart development. The doctor will even ask you to do an echocardiogram in the middle of pregnancy to ensure the safety of your baby.
In the past, many people believed that having the umbilical cord with two blood vessels increased the risk of Down syndrome in a newborn . However, this has not been shown to be true.
If you are diagnosed with this condition, stay calm and don't worry too much. Your doctor will recommend more frequent antenatal visits to monitor your baby's growth. In addition, babies born in this condition are more likely to develop kidney diseases. Therefore, you should regularly take your baby for check-ups after giving birth.
Through the above sharing, hopefully you have some more useful information about the umbilical cord 2 blood vessels. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor for further advice and support.
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