A fetus (also foetus) is a developing mammal after the embryonic stage and before birth.

The plural is fetuses or foetuses.

In humans, a fetus develops from the end of the 8th week of pregnancy (when the major structures have formed), until birth.

Factors affecting fetal growth can be maternal, placental, or fetal.

Maternal factors include maternal size, weight, weight for height, nutritional state, anemia, high environmental noise exposure, cigarette smoking, substance abuse, or uterine blood flow.

Placental factors include size, microstructure (densities and architecture), umbilical blood flow, transporters and binding proteins, nutrient utilization and nutrient production.

Fetal factors include the fetus genome, nutrient production, and hormone output.

Inappropriate growth can result in low birth weight..

For more information about the topic Fetus, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Stillbirth — A stillbirth occurs when a fetus, of mid-second trimester to full term gestational age, which has died in the womb or during labour or delivery, ...  > read more

Birth weight — Birth weight is the weight of a baby at its birth. It has direct links with the gestational age at which the child was born and can be estimated ...  > read more

Placenta — The placenta is an ephemeral (temporary) organ present only in female placental vertebrates during gestation (pregnancy). All mammals other than ...  > read more

Umbilical cord — In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is a tube that connects a developing embryo or fetus to its placenta. It contains one or two major vessels, ...  > read more

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