Question
My daughter has been suffering from cerebral palsy since she was a baby, and she hasn’t developed well. She’s now 5 years old and can only say ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’. We’ve seen many doctors, but there hasn’t been much improvement. What causes fetal cerebral palsy?
Answer
Cerebral palsy typically occurs due to damage to the fetus’s brain during prenatal and delivery periods. Some cases of cerebral palsy occur after birth. Many factors can lead to cerebral palsy, but the causes of cerebral palsy in many children are still unclear. Preterm delivery before 37 weeks is currently the known biggest risk factor. Other risk factors include thyroid disease in pregnant women, placental abnormalities, pre-eclampsia with high blood pressure and proteinuria, and certain bacterial and viral infections. Fetal abnormalities can be congenital and genetic defects, low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction, such as twin or multiple pregnancies, infections, and chronic hypoxia during delivery.