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Fetal positioning refers to a fetus’s position in your uterus before birth. Your pregnancy care provider may call it fetal presentation or the presentation of the fetus (although this usually refers to which part of a fetus’s body will move into the birth canal first). Knowing the position of the fetus helps a pregnancy care provider determine if it’s safe for you to have a vaginal delivery or if they should consider a C-section (cesarean delivery).
During childbirth, your healthcare provider’s goals are to safely deliver your baby and make sure you’re healthy after delivery. A vaginal delivery can become more challenging, or even unsafe, if the fetus is in certain positions.
Sometimes, your baby doesn’t get into the perfect position before birth. There are several positions that a fetus can be in, and some of these positions could come with complications during childbirth.
Possible fetal positions can include:
All breech positions increase your chances of having a C-section delivery because a vaginal delivery can become unsafe. In many cases, your healthcare provider will recommend a C-section instead of a vaginal birth.
Ideally, the fetus is head down, facing the birth parent’s back, with its chin tucked to its chest. This position is called cephalic or occiput anterior presentation. It’s the safest fetal position because it carries the least amount of risk to both the birth parent and the fetus. It’s very common for a fetus to turn into this position naturally by the 36th week of pregnancy.
Fetal attitude describes the position of specific parts of a fetus’s body. The ideal fetal attitude is when the fetus has its:
But, there can be times the fetal attitude is irregular. For example, its chin is tilted back instead of tucked.
Fetal lie describes how the fetus’s spine lines up with its birth parent’s spine. Ideally, they line up vertically because the fetus’s head is down in the birth canal. This is called longitudinal lie. If the fetus is sideways or horizontally across the uterus, it’s in a transverse lie.
Your healthcare provider will check fetal positioning by touching or gently pressing on parts of your abdomen during your regular prenatal appointments. This will happen during most of your appointments in the third trimester. If your provider is unsure, they may also do an ultrasound to check fetal positioning.
Breech position is probably the most unfavorable fetal position because it comes with the most risks. There are several different types of breech positions, and each position comes with its own potential dangers. Your pregnancy care provider can discuss these risks with you and let you know what they feel is the best way to deliver your baby.
Before delivery, there’s no risk to a fetus in a breech position. But there are risks to attempting a vaginal delivery on a fetus in the breech position.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Typically, the fetus moves into position for birth in the third trimester. This happens in the last few weeks of your pregnancy (often between weeks 32 and 36).
There are several ways that your healthcare provider can try and turn the fetus before you go into labor. These methods don’t always work, but if they can be done safely, your provider may recommend giving it a try.
The most common way for a provider to turn a fetus is external cephalic version (ECV). But there are other techniques you can try at home on your own. Even though there isn’t a guaranteed success rate, these at-home methods are usually worth a try.
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Fetal positioning refers to a fetus’s position in your uterus before birth. Your pregnancy care provider may call it fetal presentation or the presentation of the fetus (although this usually refers to which part of a fetus’s body will move into the birth canal first). Knowing the position of the fetus helps a pregnancy care provider determine if it’s safe for you to have a vaginal delivery or if they should consider a C-section (cesarean delivery).
During childbirth, your healthcare provider’s goals are to safely deliver your baby and make sure you’re healthy after delivery. A vaginal delivery can become more challenging, or even unsafe, if the fetus is in certain positions.
Sometimes, your baby doesn’t get into the perfect position before birth. There are several positions that a fetus can be in, and some of these positions could come with complications during childbirth.
Possible fetal positions can include:
All breech positions increase your chances of having a C-section delivery because a vaginal delivery can become unsafe. In many cases, your healthcare provider will recommend a C-section instead of a vaginal birth.
Ideally, the fetus is head down, facing the birth parent’s back, with its chin tucked to its chest. This position is called cephalic or occiput anterior presentation. It’s the safest fetal position because it carries the least amount of risk to both the birth parent and the fetus. It’s very common for a fetus to turn into this position naturally by the 36th week of pregnancy.
Fetal attitude describes the position of specific parts of a fetus’s body. The ideal fetal attitude is when the fetus has its:
But, there can be times the fetal attitude is irregular. For example, its chin is tilted back instead of tucked.
Fetal lie describes how the fetus’s spine lines up with its birth parent’s spine. Ideally, they line up vertically because the fetus’s head is down in the birth canal. This is called longitudinal lie. If the fetus is sideways or horizontally across the uterus, it’s in a transverse lie.
Your healthcare provider will check fetal positioning by touching or gently pressing on parts of your abdomen during your regular prenatal appointments. This will happen during most of your appointments in the third trimester. If your provider is unsure, they may also do an ultrasound to check fetal positioning.
Breech position is probably the most unfavorable fetal position because it comes with the most risks. There are several different types of breech positions, and each position comes with its own potential dangers. Your pregnancy care provider can discuss these risks with you and let you know what they feel is the best way to deliver your baby.
Before delivery, there’s no risk to a fetus in a breech position. But there are risks to attempting a vaginal delivery on a fetus in the breech position.
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Typically, the fetus moves into position for birth in the third trimester. This happens in the last few weeks of your pregnancy (often between weeks 32 and 36).
There are several ways that your healthcare provider can try and turn the fetus before you go into labor. These methods don’t always work, but if they can be done safely, your provider may recommend giving it a try.
The most common way for a provider to turn a fetus is external cephalic version (ECV). But there are other techniques you can try at home on your own. Even though there isn’t a guaranteed success rate, these at-home methods are usually worth a try.
In general, active surveillance includes:
Many experts, including Dr. Haywood, also incorporate advanced genomic testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with targeted biopsy (tissue sample) into their active surveillance programs.
Until recently, we haven’t really had the tools to assess an individual’s change in biology in real time. Now, MRI and targeted biopsy and genomic testing should allow us to do that.
The types and times between when these tests should be done vary, depending on the volume and aggressiveness of your cancer, your age and other individual characteristics. Whatever strategy your physician uses, it’s vital to return for follow-up testing.
But in one study, researchers reviewing registry data on more than 2,200 patients reported that within two years of being on active surveillance, about 1 in 10 of the men stopped following up. (That was defined as any 18-month period in which no pertinent surveillance testing was entered into the registry.)
Additionally, in a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in June 2019, researchers noted that among 346 men on active surveillance, only about one-third followed guideline-recommended monitoring (like PSA testing every three to six months and a prostate biopsy within 18 months of initial diagnosis.)
“We have a pretty good idea of who are the best candidates for active surveillance,” Dr. Haywood says. “But really, we don’t have evidence that says that patients with these initial characteristics should have PSAs at this interval, MRIs at this interval and biopsies at this interval. It’s my gut sense that it’s different for different people.”
Fetal positioning refers to a fetus’s position in your uterus before birth. Your pregnancy care provider may call it fetal presentation or the presentation of the fetus (although this usually refers to which part of a fetus’s body will move into the birth canal first). Knowing the position of the fetus helps a pregnancy care provider determine if it’s safe for you to have a vaginal delivery or if they should consider a C-section (cesarean delivery).
During childbirth, your healthcare provider’s goals are to safely deliver your baby and make sure you’re healthy after delivery. A vaginal delivery can become more challenging, or even unsafe, if the fetus is in certain positions.
Sometimes, your baby doesn’t get into the perfect position before birth. There are several positions that a fetus can be in, and some of these positions could come with complications during childbirth.
Possible fetal positions can include:
All breech positions increase your chances of having a C-section delivery because a vaginal delivery can become unsafe. In many cases, your healthcare provider will recommend a C-section instead of a vaginal birth.
Ideally, the fetus is head down, facing the birth parent’s back, with its chin tucked to its chest. This position is called cephalic or occiput anterior presentation. It’s the safest fetal position because it carries the least amount of risk to both the birth parent and the fetus. It’s very common for a fetus to turn into this position naturally by the 36th week of pregnancy.
Fetal attitude describes the position of specific parts of a fetus’s body. The ideal fetal attitude is when the fetus has its:
But, there can be times the fetal attitude is irregular. For example, its chin is tilted back instead of tucked.
Fetal lie describes how the fetus’s spine lines up with its birth parent’s spine. Ideally, they line up vertically because the fetus’s head is down in the birth canal. This is called longitudinal lie. If the fetus is sideways or horizontally across the uterus, it’s in a transverse lie.
Your healthcare provider will check fetal positioning by touching or gently pressing on parts of your abdomen during your regular prenatal appointments. This will happen during most of your appointments in the third trimester. If your provider is unsure, they may also do an ultrasound to check fetal positioning.
Breech position is probably the most unfavorable fetal position because it comes with the most risks. There are several different types of breech positions, and each position comes with its own potential dangers. Your pregnancy care provider can discuss these risks with you and let you know what they feel is the best way to deliver your baby.
Before delivery, there’s no risk to a fetus in a breech position. But there are risks to attempting a vaginal delivery on a fetus in the breech position.
Typically, the fetus moves into position for birth in the third trimester. This happens in the last few weeks of your pregnancy (often between weeks 32 and 36).
There are several ways that your healthcare provider can try and turn the fetus before you go into labor. These methods don’t always work, but if they can be done safely, your provider may recommend giving it a try.
The most common way for a provider to turn a fetus is external cephalic version (ECV). But there are other techniques you can try at home on your own. Even though there isn’t a guaranteed success rate, these at-home methods are usually worth a try.
Fetal positioning refers to a fetus’s position in your uterus before birth. Your pregnancy care provider may call it fetal presentation or the presentation of the fetus (although this usually refers to which part of a fetus’s body will move into the birth canal first). Knowing the position of the fetus helps a pregnancy care provider determine if it’s safe for you to have a vaginal delivery or if they should consider a C-section (cesarean delivery).
During childbirth, your healthcare provider’s goals are to safely deliver your baby and make sure you’re healthy after delivery. A vaginal delivery can become more challenging, or even unsafe, if the fetus is in certain positions.
Sometimes, your baby doesn’t get into the perfect position before birth. There are several positions that a fetus can be in, and some of these positions could come with complications during childbirth.
Possible fetal positions can include:
All breech positions increase your chances of having a C-section delivery because a vaginal delivery can become unsafe. In many cases, your healthcare provider will recommend a C-section instead of a vaginal birth.
Ideally, the fetus is head down, facing the birth parent’s back, with its chin tucked to its chest. This position is called cephalic or occiput anterior presentation. It’s the safest fetal position because it carries the least amount of risk to both the birth parent and the fetus. It’s very common for a fetus to turn into this position naturally by the 36th week of pregnancy.
Fetal attitude describes the position of specific parts of a fetus’s body. The ideal fetal attitude is when the fetus has its:
But, there can be times the fetal attitude is irregular. For example, its chin is tilted back instead of tucked.
Fetal lie describes how the fetus’s spine lines up with its birth parent’s spine. Ideally, they line up vertically because the fetus’s head is down in the birth canal. This is called longitudinal lie. If the fetus is sideways or horizontally across the uterus, it’s in a transverse lie.
Your healthcare provider will check fetal positioning by touching or gently pressing on parts of your abdomen during your regular prenatal appointments. This will happen during most of your appointments in the third trimester. If your provider is unsure, they may also do an ultrasound to check fetal positioning.
Breech position is probably the most unfavorable fetal position because it comes with the most risks. There are several different types of breech positions, and each position comes with its own potential dangers. Your pregnancy care provider can discuss these risks with you and let you know what they feel is the best way to deliver your baby.
Before delivery, there’s no risk to a fetus in a breech position. But there are risks to attempting a vaginal delivery on a fetus in the breech position.
Typically, the fetus moves into position for birth in the third trimester. This happens in the last few weeks of your pregnancy (often between weeks 32 and 36).
There are several ways that your healthcare provider can try and turn the fetus before you go into labor. These methods don’t always work, but if they can be done safely, your provider may recommend giving it a try.
The most common way for a provider to turn a fetus is external cephalic version (ECV). But there are other techniques you can try at home on your own. Even though there isn’t a guaranteed success rate, these at-home methods are usually worth a try.
In general, active surveillance includes:
Many experts, including Dr. Haywood, also incorporate advanced genomic testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with targeted biopsy (tissue sample) into their active surveillance programs.
Until recently, we haven’t really had the tools to assess an individual’s change in biology in real time. Now, MRI and targeted biopsy and genomic testing should allow us to do that.
The types and times between when these tests should be done vary, depending on the volume and aggressiveness of your cancer, your age and other individual characteristics. Whatever strategy your physician uses, it’s vital to return for follow-up testing.
But in one study, researchers reviewing registry data on more than 2,200 patients reported that within two years of being on active surveillance, about 1 in 10 of the men stopped following up. (That was defined as any 18-month period in which no pertinent surveillance testing was entered into the registry.)
Additionally, in a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in June 2019, researchers noted that among 346 men on active surveillance, only about one-third followed guideline-recommended monitoring (like PSA testing every three to six months and a prostate biopsy within 18 months of initial diagnosis.)
“We have a pretty good idea of who are the best candidates for active surveillance,” Dr. Haywood says. “But really, we don’t have evidence that says that patients with these initial characteristics should have PSAs at this interval, MRIs at this interval and biopsies at this interval. It’s my gut sense that it’s different for different people.”
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Last reviewed on 05/14/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
