Human Growth Hormone - Treatment For Intrauterine Growth Retardation

Any woman's pregnant state is a dangerously fragile time for both mother and child. The health of the mother, her emotional and mental state, and many outside forces of nature contribute to the possibility of an unborn child suffering from one or more inherent or acquired affliction. Among the many neonatal diseases, there is the rare but fatal Intrauterine Growth Retardation or IUGR: a medical condition that afflicts at least one child for every 10,000 pregnancies in the US alone.

IUGR can be defined as a state wherein the fetus inside the womb fails to achieve its genetically determined potential size. Doctors have earlier plotted out a "genetic age growth" for fetuses, and any deviance from this so-called chart can be deemed as an abnormality in uterine child development. IUGR is a serious and life threatening neonatal condition that should not be confused with another (almost similar, but less life threatening) medical condition where babies are born "small for gestational age" or SGA.

Unborn babies that are undiagnosed with IUGR have significant fetal morbidity and mortality rates. Even with correct diagnosis, some pregnancies still end up in abrupt and unplanned terminations or miscarriages. Studies show that IUGR is often caused by inadequate maternal-fetal circulation which leads to a steady decline in fetal growth. Proper diagnosis of this condition is important; as well as externally reversing this condition in the safest and fastest possible way. A quick response to this condition will help the unborn child escape from the possible complications of further cognitive or medical problems.

Human growth hormonal treatment plays a crucial role in the external administration of "aid" to fetuses with IUGR. Carefully monitoring of the intrauterine growth is now possible through ultrasonography. However, not all fetuses with IUGR are possible candidates for human growth hormonal treatment. Therefore, it would be prudent and wise to seek the counsel of an obstetrician-gynecologist about this matter before starting on any medication or treatment.

As we all know, the human growth hormone treatment helps the human body develop and maintain the growth of the bones and muscles. It is often administered to children and adults who are born with deficient supplies of natural growth hormones. These days, medical experts in neonatal care are turning to human growth hormonal treatment for their unborn patients as well.

A small dose of this hormone (dosages depends on the genetic age of the child, its "weight" and how far along it is in its development) helps stabilize the fluctuating weight of the fetuses, giving them more fighting chances for survival outside the womb. It also slows down the rapid decline of the baby's health by strengthening the basic muscles necessary for respiration and circulation like the muscles necessary for breathing and blood pumping. Neonatal doctors are trying to find alternative means and treatment to help combat the ravaging effects of IUGR; and so far, the injection of the human growth hormone treatment through the uterine wall seems to be the least invasive but effective method as of today.