I have a single umbilical artery. Should I be concerned?

The umbilical cord typically contains two arteries and one vein. But in the case with this single umbilical artery, there's only one artery and one vein. And this happens about 6% of the time. So it does happen. It's usually an isolated issue, but sometimes it can be associated with other complications, like sometimes it's associated with other anomalies or congenital issues. So I'm guessing your doctor will look into that and make sure none of those other things are the case with you. But what you can anticipate is that your doctor will monitor you more frequently during the pregnancy to make sure there aren't more complications. Your doctor will probably watch you a little bit more closely for things such as pre-term labor and for growth restriction, which means that because there's only one artery your baby might be a little bit extra small. So they'll watch you closely for signs that those complications might be developing, and address them if they pop up. They're likely to send you to a specialist called a perinatologist, who will perform special ultrasounds, and also periodically do non-stress tests as your baby gets to about the age of 28-32 weeks. So that's where you go and they watch the pattern of the baby's heart rate and make sure that everything's looking good and that your baby's not under any stress, and they also check amniotic fluid levels. And if there are any complications that arise, or any questions that pop up, then they can look into it a little bit more, or just watch your baby a little bit closer. If you have any other questions for me during the pregnancy, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page, facebook.com/intermountainmoms, and recommend us to your friends and family too.