P RACTICE BULLET IN
clinical management guidelines for obstetrician gynecologists
Number 134, May 2013 (Replaces Practice Bulletin Number 12, January 2000. Reaffirmed 2015)
Committee on Practice BulletinsObstetrics. This Practice Bulletin was developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Committee on Practice BulletinsObstetrics and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Publications Committee with the assistance of Henry Galan, MD,
and William Grobman, MD. The information is designed to aid practitioners in making decisions about appropriate obstetric and gynecologic care. These
guidelines should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure. Variations in practice may be warranted based on the needs
of the individual patient, resources, and limitations unique to the institution or type of practice.
not always) have the same final common pathway: sub- Maternal Nutrition
optimal uterineplacental perfusion and fetal nutrition. Longitudinal studies of women who conceived and gave
birth during famine periods have shown an associa-
Maternal Disorders tion between SGA and maternal malnutrition (26, 27).
Maternal medical conditions that may result in fetal In these studies, extremely poor protein intake before
growth restriction or SGA include any chronic disor- 26 weeks of gestation was associated with SGA, and
der that is associated with vascular disease (1214), severe caloric restriction (ie, intake of 600900 kcal
such as pregnancy-related hypertensive diseases (12). daily) was associated with modest reductions in birth
Antiphospholipid syndrome, an acquired immune- weight. However, there is no high-quality evidence to
meditated thrombophilic state, has been associated with suggest that additional nutrient intake in the absence
fetal growth restriction (15). In contrast, hereditary of true maternal malnutrition increases fetal weight or
thrombophilias, including the factor V Leiden mutation, improves the outcome in cases of suspected fetal growth
the prothrombin mutation, or methylenetetrahydrofolate restriction (28).
reductase gene mutations have not been found consis-
tently to be associated with fetal growth restriction or Multiple Gestation
SGA (1618). Although twin pregnancies account for only 23% of
live births in the United States, they account for 1015%
Substance Use and Abuse of adverse neonatal outcomes and are associated with an
Tobacco use during pregnancy, which is associated with increased frequency of preterm births and SGA births
a 3.5-fold increased risk of SGA, is a modifiable risk (2931). The risk of SGA in multiple gestations has
factor (12, 19). Other substances that have been associ- been reported to be as high as 25% for twin pregnancies
ated with SGA include alcohol, cocaine, and narcotics and 60% for triplet and quadruplet pregnancies (32). In
(2025). The risk of SGA associated with alcohol con- addition, monochorionic twin pregnancies are at risk of
sumption is increased even with the intake of only one SGA because of unequal placental sharing and twin
to two drinks daily (21). twin transfusion syndrome (33).
Teratogen Exposure
Exposure to certain maternal medications has been
Box 1. Etiology of Fetal Growth Restriction ^ associated with fetal growth restriction. The effect of
Maternal medical conditions any particular medication is dependent on the inherent
Pregestational diabetes mellitus teratogenicity of the drug, the timing and duration of
exposure, the dosage, and individual genetic predisposi-
Renal insufficiency
tion for drug metabolism. Use of certain antineoplastic
Autoimmune disease (eg, systemic lupus erythema- medications (eg, cyclophosphamide), antiepileptic drugs
tosus) (eg, valproic acid), and antithrombotic drugs (eg, warfa-
Cyanotic cardiac disease rin), has been associated with an increased risk of fetal
Pregnancy-related hypertensive diseases of preg- growth restriction (3438).
nancy (eg, chronic hypertension, gestational hyper-
tension, or preeclampsia) Infectious Diseases
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome It has been estimated that intrauterine infection may
Substance use and abuse (eg, tobacco, alcohol, be the primary etiology underlying approximately
cocaine, or narcotics) 510% of cases of fetal growth restriction (39). Malaria
Multiple gestation accounts for most cases of infection-related fetal growth
Teratogen exposure (eg, cyclophosphamide, valproic restriction worldwide (40). Other infections implicated
acid, or antithrombotic drugs) as causes of fetal growth restriction include cytomega-
lovirus, rubella, toxoplasmosis, varicella, and syphilis
Infectious diseases (eg, malaria, cytomegalovirus,
(39, 4144).
rubella, toxoplasmosis, or syphilis)
Genetic and structural disorders (eg, trisomy 13, Genetic and Structural Disorders
trisomy 18, congenital heart disease, or gastroschisis)
Fetal growth restriction is associated with certain chro-
Placental disorders and umbilical cord abnormalities mosomal abnormalities: at least 50% of fetuses with tri-
somy 13 or trisomy 18 have fetal growth restriction (45).