How does Hydrops Fetalis affect my baby?
Hydrops fetalis is a symptom of a problem with the baby. Immune hydrops will rapidly become fatal for the fetus if left untreated. An infant/fetus with hydrops is severely compromised. The earlier this diagnosis is seen the worse the prognosis. Some of these babies may even die before they are born. When the diagnosis of immune hydrops is made, it needs to be treated as an emergency and immediate arrangements are made for treatment. The treatment will be partly dependent on the gestational age at which the diagnosis was made. There is a 60 to 90% fetal mortality associated with non-immune hydrops. This mortality rate is dependent on the underlying cause. Many of the underlying congenital anomalies (birth defects) have an extremely high mortality rate in and of themselves. Sometimes, no cause is ever discovered but the perinatologist will be aggressively working to try to find out why the baby has developed hydrops. Some causes can be treated, so the doctor will especially be looking to
