Intrauterine hypoxia (also known as fetal hypoxia) occurs when the fetus is deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen. It may be due to a variety of reasons such as prolapse or occlusion of the umbilical cord, placental infarction, maternal diabetes (prepregnancy or gestational diabetes) and maternal smoking. Intrauterine growth restriction may cause or be the result of hypoxia. Intrauterine hypoxia can cause cellular damage that occurs within the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). This results in an increased mortality rate, including an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Oxygen deprivation in the fetus and neonate have been implicated as either a primary or as a contributing risk factor in numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders and cerebral palsy. Presentation Maternal Consequences Complications arising from intrauterine hypoxia are some of the leading causes of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder that occurs during the second trimester (after the 20th week of pregnancy) resulting from a poorly perfused placenta. Studies from the World Health Organization show that globally, about 14% (50,000- 750000 women) of maternal deaths annually are caused by preeclampsia and eclampsia. During pregnancy, women with preeclampsia faces serious risk of damage to vital organs such as the kidneys, liver, brain, and the blood system. This hypertensive disorder may also cause damage to the placenta leading to issues such as premature births, miscarriages, placental abruption, or even stillbirths. In some cases, preeclampsia can eventually lead to stroke and organ failure. Untreated, preeclampsia can progress and turn into eclampsia which is much more severe with the addition of seizures. Eclampsia seizures could lead to uncontrollable twitching and a loss of consciousness, which could potentially lead to the death of the mother and or the baby. Cause Intrauterine hypoxia can be attributed to maternal, placental, or fetal conditions. Kingdom and Kaufmann classifies three categories for the origin of fetal hypoxia: 1) pre-placental (both mother and fetus are hypoxic), 2) utero-placental (mother is normal but placenta and fetus is hypoxic), 3) post-placental (only fetus is hypoxic). Pre-placental hypoxia is most commonly caused by external hypoxic environments (such as high altitude). It can also be caused by maternal respiratory conditions (such as asthma), cardiovascular conditions (such as heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and cyanotic heart disease), and hematological conditions (such as anemia). Conditions such as obesity, nutritional deficiencies, infections, chronic inflammations, and