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The uterus is the strongest muscle in any human body. Does anyone know what the chemicals are called within the uterus that keep a fetus safe, unconscious and trouble-free in the uterus?
Do these chemicals develop during pregnancy or are they continually present?
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There are no hormones that keep fetuses unconscious, safe, and trouble free. For one, fetuses are observably conscious in the later parts of pregnancy. And for another, pregnancy is not necessarily as safe and untroubled as we wish it always was. Approximately one in five confirmed pregnancies ends in miscarriage (usually before the end of the first trimester), and a small percentage of later-term fetuses die before they're born.
Lutenizing hormone and progesterone help maintain pregnancies. However, they don't prevent placental abruptions, infections, umbilical cord accidents, or maternal health conditions (like pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and eclampsia) that can injure or kill otherwise healthy babies.
Sorry - that's a very stern and depressing post. Most babies make it through, as do most mothers. Modern medicine and prenatal care improve the odds a great deal - we can now often (although not always) identify the signs of developing trouble, deliver babies early, and treat the complications of prematurity so that they don't have lasting consequences.
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