Anencephaly is a fetal malformation, where the baby does not have a brain, skullcap, cerebellum and meninges, which are very important structures of the central nervous system, which can lead to the death of the baby soon after birth and in some rare cases, after some hours or months of life.
Main causes of anencephaly
Anencephaly is a serious alteration that can be caused by several factors, among them are the genetic load, environment and poor nutrition of women during pregnancy, but the lack of folic acid during pregnancy is its most common cause.
This fetal malformation occurs between 23 and 28 days of gestation due to the poor closure of the neural tube and therefore, in some cases, in addition to anencephaly, the fetus may have yet another neural alteration called spina bifida.
How to diagnose anencephaly
Anencephaly can be diagnosed during prenatal care through ultrasound examination, or by measuring alpha-fetoprotein in maternal serum or amniotic fluid after 13 weeks of gestation.
There is no cure for anencephaly or any treatment that can be done to try to save the baby's life.
Abortion is allowed in case of anencephaly
The Brazilian Supreme Court, on April 12, 2012, also approved abortion in case of anencephaly, with very specific criteria, determined by the Federal Council of Medicine.
Therefore, if the parents want to anticipate the delivery, a detailed ultrasound of the fetus will be necessary from the 12th week onwards, with 3 photos of the fetus detailing the skull and signed by two different doctors. From the date of approval of the decriminalization of anencephalic abortion, it is no longer necessary to have a judicial authorization to perform the abortion, as has already happened in previous cases.
In cases of anencephaly, the baby at birth will not see, hear or feel anything and the likelihood of it dying soon after birth is very high. However, if he survives for a few hours after birth he may be an organ donor, if the parents express this interest during pregnancy.
