Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) means fetal malnutrition. We identify this condition by finding a below average weight. We get an indication of growth from fat deposition in the cheeks and elsewhere. Mainly, we assess growth of the entire fetus by calculating weight from body measurements. When we have good visualization, we try to achiecve an accuracy of about an ounce in estimating weight in utero. Weight is references to the age of a fetus. Underweight is referred to as "Small for Gestational Age" or SGA. The low end of the SGA range is referred to as "Growth Retardation" or IUGR and implies a serious condition. The opposite end of growth is a large or LGA fetus.

Diminished fetal growth occurs with chromosome problems and with a large number of syndromes. However, the commonest forms of IUGR results from injury and thickening of the walls of small blood vessels in the placenta, preventing transfer of nutrients (and oxygen) from the mother's circulation. This is oe of the consequences of cigarette smoking, and it is a big concern with maternal conditions such as increased blood pressure.

Dr Brian Trudinger in Australia has been acquiring laboratory evidence supporting his theory that placental vascular injury is in many ways identical to small vessel disease in adults due to an abnormal ratio of high to low density lipids in blood. Blood lipid profiles sepend on what one eats and one's genetic constitution. Wouldn't it be great to achieve simultaneuos prevention of a major cause of sickness and death in fetuses and the leading cause of sickness and death in adults in the Western World?