Everyone Healthy Library
Fetal Distress
Sign or symptom reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
! Seek urgent medical care if warning signs appear
A symptom can have many possible causes. Some symptoms need urgent assessment, especially when they are severe, sudden or rapidly worsening.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Full information
Fetal Distress
The term fetal distress refers to the prescence of signs in a pregnant woman, whether before or during labour, that suggest that the fetus is not well. In general, fetal distress develops when there is not enough oxygen reaching the fetus. A common cause of fetal distress in pregnancy is a problem with the placenta, the organ that supplies oxygen and nutrients via the umbilical cord to the developing fetus.
Conditions linked to this sign/symptom
1Drugs where this is listed as a side effect
0No drug side-effect links are listed yet.