Fetus
Fetus in utero, between fifth and sixth months
Code	TE E1.0.2.6.4.0.6

A fetus (pronounced /ˈfiːtəs/; also spelled foetus, fœtus, faetus, or fætus, see below) is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.

In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.^[1][2]

Etymology[link]

The word fetus (plural fetuses) is from the Latin fētus (“offspring”, “bringing forth”, “hatching of young”).^[3] It has Indo-European roots related to sucking or suckling, from the Aryan prefix bheu-, meaning "To come into being".^[4]

Fœtus or foetus is the British, Irish and Commonwealth spelling, which has been in use since at least 1594.^[4] It arose as a hypercorrection based on an incorrect etymology (i.e. due to insufficient knowledge of Latin) that may have originated with an error by Saint Isidore of Seville, in AD 620.^[5][6] This spelling is the most common in most Commonwealth nations (except in medical literature, where its use is barred). The etymologically correct original spelling, fetus is used in Canada and the United States. In addition, fetus is now the standard English spelling throughout the world in medical journals.^[7] The spelling "faetus" was used historically.^[8]

The spelling in the Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary, Third Edition (1996), page 537, is 'foetus' with 'foetuses' as the plural; 'fetus' (page 514) is given as the 'US variant of foetus.' However, later editions of the OED clarify the etymology behind the Commonwealth spelling.

Development[link]

Weeks 9 to 16[link]

Fetus attached to placenta, approximately 12 weeks after fertilization.

The fetal stage commences at the beginning of the 9th week.^[1] At the start of the fetal stage, the fetus is typically about 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in length from crown to rump, and weighs about 8 grams.^[1] The head makes up nearly half of the fetus' size.^[9] Breathing-like movement of the fetus is necessary for stimulation of lung development, rather than for obtaining oxygen.^[10] The heart, hands, feet, brain and other organs are present, but are only at the beginning of development and have minimal operation.^[11][12]

Fetuses are not capable of feeling pain at the beginning of the fetal stage, and may not be able to feel pain until the third trimester.^[13] At this point in development, uncontrolled movements and twitches occur as muscles, the brain and pathways begin to develop.^[14]

Weeks 16 to 25[link]

A woman pregnant for the first time (i.e. a primiparous woman) typically feels fetal movements at about 21 weeks, whereas a woman who has already given birth at least two times (i.e. a multiparous woman) will typically feel movements by 20 weeks.^[15] By the end of the fifth month, the fetus is about 20 cm (8 inches).

Weeks 26 to 38[link]

Artist's depiction of fetus at 40 weeks after fertilization, about 20 inches (51 cm) head to toe.

The amount of body fat rapidly increases. Lungs are not fully mature. Thalamic brain connections, which mediate sensory input, form. Bones are fully developed, but are still soft and pliable. Iron, calcium, and phosphorus become more abundant. Fingernails reach the end of the fingertips. The lanugo begins to disappear, until it is gone except on the upper arms and shoulders. Small breast buds are present on both sexes. Head hair becomes coarse and thicker. Birth is imminent and occurs around the 40th week. The fetus is considered full-term between weeks 37 and 40,^[16] which means that the fetus is considered sufficiently developed for life outside the uterus.^[17] It may be 48 to 53 cm (19 to 21 inches) in length, when born. Control of movement is limited at birth, and purposeful voluntary movements develop all the way until puberty.^[18][19]

Variation in growth[link]

There is much variation in the growth of the fetus. When fetal size is less than expected, that condition is known as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) also called fetal growth restriction (FGR); factors affecting fetal growth can be maternal, placental, or fetal.^[20]

Maternal factors include maternal weight, body mass index, nutritional state, emotional stress, toxin exposure (including tobacco, alcohol, heroin, and other drugs which can also harm the fetus in other ways), and 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. Also, female fetuses tend to weigh less than males, at full term.^[20]

Fetal growth is often classified as follows: small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and large for gestational age (LGA).^[21] SGA can result in low birth weight, although premature birth can also result in low birth weight. Low birth weight increases risk for perinatal mortality (death shortly after birth), asphyxia, hypothermia, polycythemia, hypocalcemia, immune dysfunction, neurologic abnormalities, and other long-term health problems. SGA may be associated with growth delay, or it may instead be associated with absolute stunting of growth.

Viability[link]

Stages in prenatal development, showing viability and point of 50% chance of survival at bottom. Weeks and months numbered by gestation.

Miscarried fetus

Viability refers to a point in fetal development at which the fetus may survive outside the womb. The lower limit of viability is approximately five months gestational age, and usually later.^[22]

There is no sharp limit of development, age, or weight at which a fetus automatically becomes viable.^[23] According to data years 2003-2005, 20 to 35 percent of babies born at 23 weeks of gestation survive, while 50 to 70 percent of babies born at 24 to 25 weeks, and more than 90 percent born at 26 to 27 weeks, survive.^[24] It is rare for a baby weighing less than 500 gm to survive.^[23]

When such babies are born, the main causes of perinatal mortality are that the respiratory system and the central nervous system are not completely differentiated.^[23] If given expert postnatal care, some fetuses weighing less than 500 gm may survive, and are referred to as extremely low birth weight or immature infants.^[23] Preterm birth is the most common cause of perinatal mortality, causing almost 30 percent of neonatal deaths.^[25]

Fetal pain[link]

Fetal pain, its existence, and its implications are debated politically and academically. According to the conclusions of a review published in 2005, "Evidence regarding the capacity for fetal pain is limited but indicates that fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester."^[13][26] However, there may be an emerging consensus among developmental neurobiologists that the establishment of thalamocortical connections" (at about 26 weeks) is a critical event with regard to fetal perception of pain.^[27] Nevertheless, because pain can involve sensory, emotional and cognitive factors, it is "impossible to know" when painful experiences may become possible, even if it is known when thalamocortical connections are established.^[27]

Whether a fetus has the ability to feel pain and to suffer is part of the abortion debate.^[28][29] For example, in the USA legislation has been proposed by pro-life advocates that abortion providers should be required to tell a woman that the fetus may feel pain during the abortion procedure, and require her to accept or decline anesthesia for the fetus.^[30]

Circulatory system[link]

Diagram of the human fetal circulatory system.

The circulatory system of a human fetus works differently from that of born humans, mainly because the lungs are not in use: the fetus obtains oxygen and nutrients from the woman through the placenta and the umbilical cord.^[31]

Blood from the placenta is carried to the fetus by the umbilical vein. About half of this enters the fetal ductus venosus and is carried to the inferior vena cava, while the other half enters the liver proper from the inferior border of the liver. The branch of the umbilical vein that supplies the right lobe of the liver first joins with the portal vein. The blood then moves to the right atrium of the heart. In the fetus, there is an opening between the right and left atrium (the foramen ovale), and most of the blood flows from the right into the left atrium, thus bypassing pulmonary circulation. The majority of blood flow is into the left ventricle from where it is pumped through the aorta into the body. Some of the blood moves from the aorta through the internal iliac arteries to the umbilical arteries, and re-enters the placenta, where carbon dioxide and other waste products from the fetus are taken up and enter the woman's circulation.^[31]

Some of the blood from the right atrium does not enter the left atrium, but enters the right ventricle and is pumped into the pulmonary artery. In the fetus, there is a special connection between the pulmonary artery and the aorta, called the ductus arteriosus, which directs most of this blood away from the lungs (which aren't being used for respiration at this point as the fetus is suspended in amniotic fluid).^[31]

Postnatal development[link]

With the first breath after birth, the system changes suddenly. The pulmonary resistance is dramatically reduced ("pulmo" is from the Latin for "lung"). More blood moves from the right atrium to the right ventricle and into the pulmonary arteries, and less flows through the foramen ovale to the left atrium. The blood from the lungs travels through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium, increasing the pressure there. The decreased right atrial pressure and the increased left atrial pressure pushes the septum primum against the septum secundum, closing the foramen ovale, which now becomes the fossa ovalis. This completes the separation of the circulatory system into two halves, the left and the right.

The ductus arteriosus normally closes off within one or two days of birth, leaving behind the ligamentum arteriosum. The umbilical vein and the ductus venosus closes off within two to five days after birth, leaving behind the ligamentum teres and the ligamentum venosus of the liver respectively.

Differences from the adult circulatory system[link]

Remnants of the fetal circulation can be found in adults:^[32][33]

In addition to differences in circulation, the developing fetus also employs a different type of oxygen transport molecule than adults (adults use adult hemoglobin). Fetal hemoglobin enhances the fetus' ability to draw oxygen from the placenta. Its dissociation curve to oxygen is shifted to the left, meaning that it will take up oxygen at a lower concentration than adult hemoglobin will. This enables fetal hemoglobin to absorb oxygen from adult hemoglobin in the placenta, which has a lower pressure of oxygen than at the lungs.

Developmental problems[link]

Congenital anomalies are anomalies that are acquired before birth. Infants with certain congenital anomalies of the heart can survive only as long as the ductus remains open: in such cases the closure of the ductus can be delayed by the administration of prostaglandins to permit sufficient time for the surgical correction of the anomalies. Conversely, in cases of patent ductus arteriosus, where the ductus does not properly close, drugs that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis can be used to encourage its closure, so that surgery can be avoided.

A developing fetus is highly susceptible to anomalies in its growth and metabolism, increasing the risk of birth defects. One area of concern is the pregnant woman's lifestyle choices made during pregnancy.^[34] Diet is especially important in the early stages of development. Studies show that supplementation of the woman's diet with folic acid reduces the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. Another dietary concern is whether the woman eats breakfast. Skipping breakfast could lead to extended periods of lower than normal nutrients in the woman's blood, leading to a higher risk of prematurity, or other birth defects in the fetus. During this time alcohol consumption may increase the risk of the development of Fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition leading to mental retardation in some infants.^[35] Smoking during pregnancy may also lead to reduced birth weight. Low birth weight is defined as 2500 grams (5.5 lb). Low birth weight is a concern for medical providers due to the tendency of these infants, described as premature by weight, to have a higher risk of secondary medical problems. Some research shows that fetal ultrasounds (including Doppler, 3D/4D ultrasound, and 2D ultrasound) can have negative effect on birth weight and neurodevelopment.^[36]

Legal issues[link]

Abortion of a pregnancy is legal and/or tolerated due to facets of the physician-patient relationship in many countries such as Australia, India, Canada, most European countries, and the United States. Many of those countries that allow abortion during the fetal stage have gestational time limits, so that late-term abortions are not normally allowed.^[37]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fetus

• Abortion
• Fetal position
• Fetal rights
• Fetoscopy
• Neural development
• Potential person
• Pregnancy
• Superfetation
• Women's rights

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Prenatal Image Gallery Index" from The Endowment for Human Development (providing numerous motion pictures of human fetal movement that can be viewed online).
• "In the Womb," video from National Geographic.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010)

Franco Battiato
Background information
Birth name	Francesco Battiato
Born	(1945-03-23) 23 March 1945 (age 67)
Origin	Riposto, Sicily, Italy
Genres	Beat (1965/1970) experimental, new wave, musique concrète, progressive rock (1971–1979) synthrock (1980–1987) pop, new age, opera, classical (1988–1996) alternative rock, synthrock, pop/rock (1997–)
Occupations	Musician, filmmaker, painter
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Ricordi EMI Sony Music
Associated acts	Alice, Juri Camisasca, Giuni Russo, Milva
Website	www.battiato.it

Francesco (Franco) Battiato (born 23 March 1945 in Riposto) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes. His collaborations from 1994 onward with the nihilistic-cynical philosopher Manlio Sgalambro have added lyrical references to Emil Cioran, Friedrich Nietzsche and other anarchistic thinkers.

Together with Alice, Franco Battiato represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 with the song "I treni di Tozeur".

Biography[link]

Early years and experimental period[link]

Franco Battiato was born in 1945 in Riposto (in the former municipality of Jonia, that included also Giarre) in the province of Catania, Sicily.

At the age of 20 he moved to Milan and in 1967 he obtained the first musical contract. His single La Torre was released and Battiato appeared on TV to perform the song. He scored some success with the romantic song È l'amore. After further covers of pop songs, he met the experimental musician Juri Camisasca in 1970 and collaborated with Osage Tribe, an Italian psychedelic-progressive rock band. As a solo artist, he released the science-fiction single La convenzione (The convention), one of the finest Italian progressive rock songs of the 1970s.

Starting from 1971, Battiato devoted much of his efforts to experimental electronic music, producing a series of LPs that remained almost unknown at the time, but are now eagerly sought by collectors worldwide. Starting out with electronic Progressive Rock with some emphasis on vocals, his music became increasingly experimental, gradually moving into the realms of musique concrète and minimalism: Foetus (1971, its cover was censored), Pollution (1972), Sulle Corde di Aries (1973), Clic (1974) and M.elle le “Gladiator” (1975). Clic is a haunting yet largely conventional exploration in the electronic style reminiscent of Philip Glass and even German experimental rock band Can.

In 1975, he moved to the Dischi Ricordi label, producing Battiato (1975), Juke Box (1976) and the experimental L'Egitto prima delle sabbie (Egypt Before the Sands, 1977), which won the Stockhausen award for contemporary music.

National success[link]

After the Ricordi label failed to re-sign him, Battiato signed with EMI. He abandoned the Prog Rock experiments of the previous years and moved to a more pop-oriented style which afforded him ever increasing popularity with Italian audiences. In this period his albums were usually in collaboration with the renowned musician and violinist Giusto Pio, whose two later albums were produced by Battiato.

After L'era del cinghiale bianco (The Era Of The White Boar, 1979) and Patriots (1980), Battiato obtained astounding success with La voce del padrone (His Master's Voice) in 1981, which was the first Italian LP to sell more than one million copies. The commercial success was confirmed by L'arca di Noè (Noah's Ark) in 1982. Songs like "L'era del cinghiale bianco", "Prospettiva Nevskij" ("Nevsky Perspective"), "Centro di gravità permanente" ("Permanent Gravity Centrepoint"), "Bandiera bianca" ("White Flag"), "Voglio vederti danzare" ("I Want To See You Dance") which were characterized by an original mix of middle-eastern melodies, lyrics which touched upon philosophical themes and electro-pop rhythms, established Battiato as one of the most popular musicians in Italy, with his strange mixture of Pop songs and intellectual attitude. Many of the songs of this era contained some lyrics in English and, most notably Arabic, a language that Battiato had started to study after a trip to Turkey. Battiato's albums were also released in Spanish and English versions.

Orizzonti perduti (Lost Horizons, 1983), which Battiato himself called a kipper, was followed by the successful Mondi Lontanissimi (Faraway Worlds, 1985), which featured a solo version of the popular "I treni di Tozeur" ("The Tozeur Trains)", originally a duet with Alice performed at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, the science-fiction/metaphysical "Via Lattea" ("Milky Way") and "No Time No Space".

1988's Fisiognomica (Physiognomy) sold more than 300,000 copies and it confirmed Battiato's success. The album, considered by Battiato himself his best work for the balance between music and lyrics, contained the hit "Nomadi" ("Nomads"), originally recorded by Alice and written by his old friend Juri Camisasca, who in the meantime had retired to a Benedictin monastery. The album also included the songs "E ti vengo a cercare", which was performed by director/actor Nanni Moretti in his 1989 movie Palombella Rossa, and "Veni l'autunnu" with lyrics entirely in the Sicilian and Arabic languages.

Come un cammello in una grondaia (Like a Camel In The Gutter, 1991), was divided into two parts, the second made up by classical German lieder. Among the pop songs, "Povera patria" ("Poor Homeland"), a poetical denouncement of Italy's lack of culture and honesty, became a kind of hymn of the civil society rebelling against the 1992 mafioso bomb attacks against judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

Pio and Battiato also worked as composers, musical arrangers and producers for several singers, including Alice and Giuni Russo, and for two of Milva's albums.

Starting from 1987, Battiato also produced several classical operas: Genesi (1987), Gilgamesh (1992) and Il Cavaliere dell'Intelletto (1994). In 1990 he also began to experiment with painting, initially under the pseudonym of Süphan Barzani.

Collaboration with Manlio Sgalambro[link]

In 1994 Battiato began to collaborate with the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro, who was to write almost all the lyrics of his following albums.

After the tentative L'ombrello e la macchina da cucire of 1995, in 1996 the duo published what is considered their best work so far, L'imboscata, containing the romantic hit "La cura" ("The care"), elected best Italian song of the year.

Gommalacca (1998, with an unusual stress on hard rock), Ferro battuto (2000) and Dieci stratagemmi (2004) continued on the same path, with variations mainly set by Battiato's unceasing desire for musical experimentation.

In 2003 Battiato released his first feature film, Perduto amor (Lost love), for which he also composed the soundtrack. The movie won the Silver Ribbon for the best debutant director. However, heavy criticism struck against his following movie, Musikanten, a rather experimental work about Beethoven's last four years of life. The German musician was played by the Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky.

In 2004 he hosted a cultural show named Bitte, keine Reclame for a satellite channel of RAI, the Italian state network.

Battiato in concert during the Notte Bianca 2007 in Rome

Personal life[link]

Battiato is not married; he had been very attached to his mother Grazia, who died in 1994. He prefers spending time in a personal retreat in Milo, a little town near Mount Etna, rather than socializing with the so-called "cultural elite".

Trivia[link]

• In 1999 Battiato released a collection of covers of Italian love songs, Fleurs. He repeated the experiment three years later with an album inexplicably numbered Fleurs 3. The median album Fleurs 2 was released unexpectedly in November 2008.
• Battiato's cover of The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", originally released on Fleurs, is prominently featured in the 2006 film, Children of Men.
• In his album Fleurs 2 (2009) Anthony Hegarty performs, in Italian, "Del suo veloce volo", Battiato's cover of Antony and the Johnsons' song "Frankestein".

Discography[link]

1970s[link]

• La Convenzione (single, 1971)
• Foetus (1971)
• Pollution (1972)
• Sulle corde di Aries (1973)
• Clic (1974)
• M.elle le “Gladiator” (1975)
• Feed Back (1975)
• Battiato (1976)
• Juke Box (1977)
• L'Egitto prima delle sabbie (1978)
• L'era del cinghiale bianco (1979)

1980s[link]

• Patriots (1980)
• La voce del Padrone (1981)
• L'arca di Noè (1982)
• Orizzonti perduti (1983)
• Mondi Lontanissimi (1985)
• Echoes of Sufi Dances (1985, in English)
• Ecos de Danzas Sufi (1985, in Spanish)
• Nomadas (1987, in Spanish)
• Fisiognomica (1988)
• Giubbe Rosse (1989, live)

1990s[link]

• Come un cammello in una grondaia (1991)
• Caffè de la Paix (1993)
• Unprotected (1994, live)
• L'ombrello e la macchina da cucire (1995)
• Battiato studio collection (1996, collection)
• L'imboscata (1996)
• Shadow, Light (1996, collection)
• Battiato Live Collection (1997, live)
• Gommalacca (1998)
• Fleurs (1999)

2000s[link]

• Campi magnetici (2000)
• Ferro battuto (2001)
• Fleurs 3 (2002)
• Last Summer Dance (2003, live)
• Dieci stratagemmi (2004)
• Il vuoto (2007)
• Fleurs 2 (2008) (3X Platinum)
• Inneres Auge – Il tutto è più della somma delle sue parti (2009) (Platinum)

Singles[link]

• 1965: L'amore è partito (Love's gone)
• 1965: E piu ti amo (The more I love you...)
• 1967: La torre / Le reazioni (The tower / The reaction)
• 1967: Triste come me / Il mondo va così (Sad like me / The world goes like this)
• 1968: È l'amore / Fumo di una sigaretta (It's love / Smoke of a cigarette)
• 1969: Sembrava una serata come tante / Gente (It seemed it was an ordinary evening / People)
• 1969: Bella ragazza / Occhi d'or (Beautiful girl / Golden eyes)
• 1970: Lacrime e pioggia (Rain and tears)
• 1971: Vento caldo / Marciapiede (Warm wind / Pavement) - recorded 1968
• 1972: Energia / Una cellula (Energy / A cell)
• 1972: La convenzione / Paranoia (The convention / Paranoia)
• 1978: Adieu/San Marco - Elektra Records, t 123 310
• 1979: L'era del cinghiale bianco / Luna indiana (The era of the white boar / Indian moon)
• 1981: Bandiera bianca / Summer on a Solitary Beach (White flag / ...)
• 1984: I treni di Tozeur / Le biciclette di Forlì (The trains of Tozeur / The bicycles of Forlì) - with Alice
• 1985: No Time No Space / Il re del mondo (... / The king of the world)
• 1985: Via lattea / L'animale (Milky Way / The animal)
• 1996: Strani Giorni/Decline and fall of the roman empire (Strange days / ...)
• 1996: La Cura (The care)
• 1998: Shock in my town
• 1998: Il ballo del potere (Power's dance)
• 2001: Running against the grain/Sarcofagia/In trance (... / ... / Into a trance)
• 2004: Tra Sesso e Castità/Le aquile non volano a stormi/Ermeneutica (Between sex and chastity / Eagles don't fly in flocks / Hermeneutics)
• 2007: Il vuoto (Vacuum)
• 2007: Aspettando l'estate (Waiting for summer)
• 2007: Niente è come sembra (Nothing is as it seems)
• 2008: Tutto l'universo obbedisce all'amore (The whole universe obeys the love)

Singles in Spanish[link]

• 1985: La estación de los amores (Love's season)
• 1991: Pobre Patria (Poor homeland)
• 1986: Yo quiero verte danzar (I want to see you dancing)

Operas[link]

• Genesi (1987)
• Gilgamesh (1992)
• Messa arcaica (1993)
• Il Cavaliere dell'Intelletto (1995) - not published on CD
• Campi magnetici (2000)
• Telesio (2011)

Filmography[link]

• Perduto amor (2003, also screenplay)
• Musikanten (2005)
• Niente è come sembra (2007)
• Auguri Don Gesualdo (2010)

Bibliography[link]

• Tecnica mista su tappeto, Conversazioni autobiografiche (1992)
• Evoluzione evoluzione evoluzione (1998)
• Parole e canzoni (2004)
• In fondo sono contento di aver fatto la mia conoscenza (2007)
• Musica e spiritualità (2008)
• Io chi sono? Dialoghi sulla musica e sullo spirito (2009)
• Sowa rigpa. La scienza della guarigione per un'alimentazione consapevole (2010)

External links[link]

• Official website
• Radio BattiatoHispano, the first radio dedicated to Battiato and to his vast collaborations
• www.battiatoweb.com BattiatoWeb, unofficial Spanish website
• Franco Battiato on Europopmusic.eu (English)
• Franco Battiato discography (Music City)
• Franco Battiato discography at Discogs