12 Weeks
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At 12 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus’s brain continues to grow and expand [1]. Its eyes are widely separated, and its body is elongating [2]. As the limbs lengthen, they will gradually become more proportional to the fetus’s body [2].
Fingernails start developing, and the external genitalia continue to form male or female characteristics [2]. The fetus’s intestines are still in the umbilical cord but will soon relocate to the abdomen [2].
The fetus swallows amniotic fluid, including urine. However, fetal waste products exit the amniotic fluid by passing across the placental membrane, where the maternal circulatory system removes them [2].
The end of twelve weeks coincides with the end of the first trimester [3]. While some sources consider the first trimester to end a week later at 13 weeks of pregnancy, we follow the terminology in global guidelines on antenatal care [4].
References:
1. Betts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, Johnson E, Poe B, Kruse DH, et al. 28.3 Fetal Development. Anatomy & Physiology. Houston: OpenStax; 2013.
2. Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2016.
3. Harms R, Wick M, editors. Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. Boston: Da Capo Press; 2011.
4. World Health Organization. WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. WHO; 2016.
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Produced and written by: Samantha Lattof, PhD MSc
Medically reviewed by: Ayodeji Olelakan Abere, MD MBA MHA
Animation by: SciePro / Pond5
Music by: audiomarket / Pond5
Narration by: Ava at Wellsaid