Question

A woman noticed a defect in foetus at the 2nd month of pregnancy. What will be proper advice after medical checkup?

Answer 1

Pregnancy occurs after fertilization of sperm and ovum (after it is released during ovulation). The fertilized egg then moves down into the uterus, where it attaches itself to the uterine wall. The process of attachment of the fertilized egg with the uterine wall is called implantation. The average length of human gestation (Pregnancy) is about 9 months which is divided into three trimesters of three months each

Complete answer:
● Women who receive proper prenatal health care to give birth to a healthy baby.
● A proper nutritious diet should be advised and tasks requiring physical strength should be avoided.
● Women should undergo medical check-ups regularly.
● Supplementation of folic acid and tetanus toxoid should be taken at the prescribed time interval of pregnancy. Other immunization if needed should be prescribed.
● For a woman who has noticed a defect in the fetus during the second month of pregnancy, the proper advice after a medical checkup is that she should abort that foetus if it has major problems or she can take proper treatment so that the defect subsides.
● In case of any genetic deformity, proper counseling should be done for both the mother and father, and the risk of such deformities in future pregnancies should be evaluated.
● Other means of conceiving like adoption should be encouraged.

Note: Teratogenic drugs are the group of drugs that are not prescribed during pregnancy because they have toxic effects on the foetus and cause congenital malformations in the newborn. Drugs like Thalidomide have teratogenic potential and are not prescribed in pregnancy as it causes phocomelia in newborn. Legal measures should be taken against female foeticide, couples terminating a pregnancy on a gender basis should be warned and required measures should be taken to prevent such events.