Fetal Circulation

How does the fetal circulatory system work?

During pregnancy, the fetal circulatory system works differently than after birth:
The fetus is connected by the umbilical cord to the placenta, the organ that develops and
implants in the mother's uterus during pregnancy.
Through the blood vessels in the umbilical cord, the fetus receives all the necessary nutrition,
oxygen, and life support from the mother through the placenta.
Waste products and carbon dioxide from the fetus are sent back through the umbilical cord and
placenta to the mother's circulation to be eliminated.

lood from the mother enters the placenta and comes in close proximity to the fetal blood that has
returned from the fetus to the placenta through the umbilical arteries. !nce the two circulations
are in close proximity in the placenta, the oxygen "!#$ and nutrients, like sugar, protein and fat
molecules can move from maternal to fetal blood, and carbon dioxide "%!#$ and waste products
can move from fetal to maternal blood. The maternal blood returns from the placenta to the
mother's veins for her systems to take care of the waste. The new well nourished fetal blood
returns to the baby through the umbilical vein. The umbilical vein goes to the liver and splits in to
three branches, one of which connects to the inferior vena cava, a ma&or vein connected to the
heart. 'n this way the well nourished blood reaches the fetal heart to be sent to the rest of the
body.
'nside the fetal heart:
lood enters the right atrium, the chamber on the upper right side of the heart. (ost of
the blood flows to the left side through a special fetal opening between the left and right
atria, called the foramen ovale.
lood then passes into the left ventricle "lower chamber of the heart$ and then to the
aorta, "the large artery coming from the heart$.
)rom the aorta, blood is sent to the head and upper extremities. *fter circulating there,
the blood returns to the right atrium of the heart through the superior vena cava.
*bout one+third of the blood entering the right atrium does not flow through the foramen
ovale, but, instead, stays in the right side of the heart, eventually flowing into the
pulmonary artery.
ecause the placenta does the work of exchanging oxygen "!
#
$ and carbon dioxide "%!
#
$ through
the mother's circulation, the fetal lungs are not used for breathing. 'nstead of blood flowing to the
lungs to pick up oxygen and then flowing to the rest of the body, the fetal circulation shunts
"bypasses$ most of the blood away from the lungs. 'n the fetus, blood is shunted from the
pulmonary artery to the aorta through a connecting blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus.
Blood circulation after birth:
With clamping of the cord, the detachment from the placenta and the first breaths of air the baby
takes at birth, the fetal circulation changes. y removing the placenta reservoir, the baby's venous
resistance,blood pressure goes up. y filling the lungs with air, the blood pressure in the lung
arteries goes down. This eventually leads to the closing of the two areas for shunting, the patent
foramen ovale "-)!$ and the patent ductus arteriosus "-D*$.
ecause the ductus arteriosus "the normal connection between the aorta and the
pulmonary artery$ is no longer needed, it begins to constrict and close off.
The circulation in the lungs increases and more blood flows into the left atrium of the
heart. This increased pressure causes the foramen ovale to close and blood circulates
normally.