What impact can a single umbilical artery have on children?

Single umbilical artery is a unique phenomenon formed during the baby's development process, and it is also one of the manifestations of fetal hypoplasia. This phenomenon has little overall impact on the fetus, but it will affect other problems such as the fetus's nutritional intake. Therefore, once a single umbilical artery appears, it is a very dangerous factor. Parents need to conduct regular examinations and pay close attention to the fetus's movements. Let’s take a look at the impact that single umbilical artery can have on children.

What is a single umbilical artery?

The umbilical cord is the main channel for material exchange between the fetus and the mother. Generally speaking, the umbilical cord of a fetus has three blood vessels, one umbilical vein and two umbilical arteries. Single umbilical artery means that the umbilical cord has only one umbilical artery and one umbilical vein. Single umbilical artery is the most common umbilical cord abnormality. As for its pathological mechanism, doctors agree that it may be caused by thrombosis leading to atrophy of the original umbilical artery. Of course, single umbilical artery may also be related to chromosomal abnormalities.

Effects of single umbilical artery on the fetus:

Babies with a single umbilical artery have a higher incidence of other malformations. When an expectant mother is diagnosed with a single umbilical artery, the doctor will conduct a detailed examination to see if the fetus has other structural malformations. If the single umbilical artery is an isolated single umbilical artery, the expectant mother does not need to worry too much, as most of these fetuses develop normally. Of course, some single umbilical arteries can cause fetal circulatory disorders, affect fetal development, and cause intrauterine growth retardation, premature birth, etc. Therefore, when the doctor finds that the fetus has a single umbilical artery, he or she will definitely ask the expectant mother to increase the frequency of dynamic follow-up to monitor the growth and development of the fetus. If all the fetal examination indicators are normal, it means that the fetus is developing well and the expectant mother does not need to worry too much.

What should be noted for single umbilical artery:

Currently, there is no way to intervene in a single umbilical artery. Therefore, when a pregnant mother is diagnosed with a single umbilical artery, the main thing to do is to do a good examination to rule out abnormal development of the fetus. If the examination finds no abnormalities, expectant mothers can rest assured and wait for delivery, because the baby's single umbilical artery does not mean that there is a problem with the little one. Clinically, the vast majority of babies born with a single umbilical artery are healthy, so expectant mothers do not need to be overly anxious.

A single umbilical artery is actually not very common. It will not have a big impact in the early and mid-pregnancy, but it may cause fetal hypoxia in the late pregnancy. Just pay more attention to fetal movements in the late pregnancy.