How does medical technology help in detecting the growth and development of the unborn child?
Simple ultrasound scanning of the uterus has helped enormously in pregnant women. 1. Measurements of the fetal head, abdominal circumference, femur and other anatomical landmarks help to identify the duration of gestation i.e. the age of the fetus. We can also make out abnormalities in size of the head. 2. Multiple fetuses including conjoined twins can be made out. 3. We can find out the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus. This will tell us about the growth of the baby and also the maturity of the placenta. 4. Tumors or any swellings of the uterus can also be detected. 5. We can also see foreign bodies such as an intra-uterine device, blood clot, or retained placental fragment. Hence ultrasound scanning in the practice of obstetrics is a very useful tool. Doppler Ultrasound Examination of the Uterus, which is occasionally needed is a good non-invasive technology to study the blood flow of the uterine and umbilical arteries. It is useful to predict many problems in pregnancy
