The initial months of pregnancy are crucial to help a fetus develop and decide whether it will be a viable/non-viable pregnancy. The viability of pregnancy depends on several factors, and it is essential for you to understand them. It is also vital for mothers and their partners to understand the importance of prenatal screenings and tests since they can help determine problems early. Read this post to learn about viable and non-viable pregnancy, how it is determined, reasons that make a pregnancy non-viable, and tips to manage a non-viable pregnancy.
Viable Pregnancy
A viable pregnancy is when the fetus reaches a stage where it is capable of surviving outside the womb, under normal conditions. The viability of a pregnancy is based on many factors, such as the gestational age, birth weight, technological interventions (1) (2). Ideally, doctors should know if the fetus is viable by 22-25 weeks of gestation, based on ultrasound evaluation. However, as every pregnancy is different, the viable fetus does not mean that pregnancy will reach nine months and it will result in a full-term baby.
When Is The Viability In Pregnancy Determined?
As every pregnancy is different, the viability of a pregnancy can be determined only after examining the mother and the fetus. Factors on which the viability depends on are (2) (3):
Mother’s health: Age, health conditions, previous miscarriages, and the overall health of the woman affects the developing fetus.
Chromosomal abnormalities: In many cases, the study of chromosomal abnormalities remains unknown. Hence, viability might not be determined sooner.
Availability of advanced neonatal care: Depending on the infrastructure and technology used by the hospital, it could either be a timely diagnosis or too late to determine if the pregnancy is viable or not. If hospital has tertiary NICU and advance infrastructure viable fetus even at early gestation can be saved.
These factors could make determining the viability at around 24 weeks difficult, thus delaying the diagnosis. But thanks to the improvements in medical technology, doctors can determine the viability of the pregnancy sooner than later. When a pregnancy is not viable, it becomes non-viable. Find out more about it next.
Non-Viable Pregnancy
A pregnancy is non-viable when there is hardly any chance of the baby’s survival or when the fetus is not developing. The result could be an expelled fetus or a living fetus but with limited or no chance of surviving once it is outside the uterus. In the early weeks, a non-viable pregnancy could lead to an abortion or a miscarriage. Bleeding and pain are the typical symptoms of a non-viable pregnancy. Further diagnosis via pelvic ultrasonography and serum hCG measurement are performed to confirm it (4). A non-viable pregnancy could be due to causes, which we see in the next section.
Causes Of Non-Viable Pregnancy
Various factors could be responsible for a non-viable pregnancy. Some of them are explained below. In the next section, we talk about the methods to determine the viability of the fetus.
Early Viability Scan
Early viability scan is done between six and ten weeks. It checks the number of fetuses in the womb, heartbeat, and if everything is normal inside the womb and location of fetus to rule out ectopic pregnancy. This scan is suggested for pregnant women who are experiencing bleeding or pain and for those who have had a miscarriage previously. The doctor may prefer a transvaginal ultrasound to transabdominal, to get better results (10). The pregnancy is said to be viable if (11): All these can be detected around five to six weeks of pregnancy. If any of the factors mentioned above are not entirely met, it could suggest a non-viable pregnancy. Find out how to determine that in the next section.
Factors Determining Non-Viable Pregnancy
The following factors determine non-viable pregnancy or pregnancy loss. These are checked via a scan (4).
No heartbeat, and the CRL ≥ 7mm
No embryo and the mean sac diameter ≥ 25mm
No embryo and heartbeat after 11 days of the scan, which showed yolk sac and gestational sac
No embryo and heartbeat after two weeks of the scan, which showed a gestational sac but not a yolk sac
Some findings that could suggest a risky and non-viable pregnancy include:
No embryo and mean sac diameter between 16mm and 22mm
No heartbeat and CRL < 7mm
Empty amnion
Six weeks after the period, there is no embryo
A larger yolk sac, which is greater than 7mm
Small gestational sac
No embryo with a heartbeat between seven and 13 days of the scan that earlier showed the gestational sac but not the yolk sac
No embryo with a heartbeat between seven and ten days of the scan that previously showed a yolk sac and gestational sac
A non-viable pregnancy means there is no chance of the baby being born alive or surviving after it is born. That does not, however, mean that you cannot get pregnant again.
Are There Any Non-Viable Pregnancy Management Options?
Yes. You can follow these non-viable pregnancy management options for a chance to get pregnant even after a non-viable pregnancy or a loss of pregnancy.
