Excess oxygen harmful to the fetus

2000/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

A team of researchers at Imperial College London has stated that oxygen is imperative for living beings, but that it can be deadly for the developing fetus.

Researchers have measured the oxygen level in the squares during the first three months of pregnancy. In the pleasures of 30 women a small monitor was installed that detected that between the 8th and 15th week of pregnancy the level of oxygen of the blood that had passed through the umbilical cord increased considerably.

According to the researchers, these results confirm the existence of two phases in pregnancy. In the first trimester there is a low oxygen concentration in the squares, since the fetus needs it to develop it. Then the oxygen level increases rapidly. According to the researchers, this abrupt change could be one of the causes of miscarriages.

On the other hand, London researchers try to find ways to cope with risk. One way of protecting the fetus could be the administration of antioxidant vitamins, which destroy free radicals created by oxygen. However, at the moment there is no evidence to confirm it.