Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (963 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Blood of the fetus. Exchange of nutrients and waste between the fetal and maternal blood occurs via the placenta. The cord blood is blood contained in the umbilical vessels (umbilical cord) at the time of delivery.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Blood, Fetal; Bloods, Fetal; Fetal Bloods; Cord Blood; Blood, Cord; Bloods, Cord; Cord Bloods; Umbilical Cord Blood.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 33,502 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Fetal Blood” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 3,299 of them (9.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 15,177 records.
Reviews account for 1,776 records (5.3%) and meta-analyses for 105. Randomized controlled trials number 615 (1.8%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 15,177 |
| 2000-2009 | 7,455 |
| 2010-2019 | 7,571 |
| 2020 onward | 3,299 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,776 | 5.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 105 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 615 | 1.8% |
Method: PubMed query "Fetal Blood"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
The China birth cohort study (CBCS) [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The China birth cohort study (CBCS) is a prospective longitudinal, mega-cohort study and the first national-based birth cohort study, aiming to establish a birth cohort covering representative geographical areas of the whole of China to investigate risk factors for birth defects and develop strategies for their reduction.
- Closing excerpt
- A website is in the advanced stages of planning, to allow seamless data transfer and facilitate collaboration with groups around the world.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (248 words)
The China birth cohort study (CBCS) is a prospective longitudinal, mega-cohort study and the first national-based birth cohort study, aiming to establish a birth cohort covering representative geographical areas of the whole of China to investigate risk factors for birth defects and develop strategies for their reduction. Pregnant women who are of Chinese nationality, are 6-13+6 weeks of gestation, plan to attend the routine antenatal examination and deliver in the study site, and give their informed, written consent are eligible to participate in this study. All participants are followed-up through an in-person interview at 20-23+6 weeks and again at 28-33+6 weeks of gestation, and at delivery, respectively. CBCS has been divided into three phases from 20th November 2017 to 31st December 2021, and the first two phases have now been completed on 29th February 2020, enrolling 120 377 eligible pregnant women during this period. During the same period a total of 40 837 participants had been followed up to the end of pregnancy. Study recruitment will continue until December 2021 to achieve the target of 500 000 participants. Meanwhile, biological samples including peripheral blood, amniocytes, cord blood, placenta, or umbilical cord tissue have been collected from participants according to various conditions. The incidence of birth defects in this group is 2.5% and congenital heart disease is the most common type of birth defect seen so far. A website is in the advanced stages of planning, to allow seamless data transfer and facilitate collaboration with groups around the world.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 35146635 · DOI · PMC9110496
Prospective Associations of Early Pregnancy Metal Mixtures with Mitochondria DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length in Maternal and Cord Blood [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundMetal exposure during pregnancy influences maternal and child health.
- Closing excerpt
- 1289/EHP9294.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (290 words)
BackgroundMetal exposure during pregnancy influences maternal and child health. Oxidative stress and inflammation may mediate adverse effects of heavy metals, whereas essential metals may act as antioxidants. Mitochondrial DNA is a prime target for metal-induced oxidative damage. Telomere dysfunction is attributed to imbalances between reactive oxidant species and antioxidants.ObjectivesWe evaluated individual and joint associations of prenatal metals with mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and telomere length (TL) in maternal and cord blood as biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress.MethodsWe measured six nonessential metals (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, lead, mercury) and four essential metals (magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc) in first-trimester maternal red blood cells in Project Viva, a U.S. prebirth cohort. We measured relative mtDNAcn (n=898) and TL (n=893) in second-trimester maternal blood and mtDNAcn (n=419) and TL (n=408) in cord blood. We used multivariable linear regression and quantile g-computation to estimate associations between prenatal metals and the biomarkers. We used generalized additive models and Bayesian kernel machine regression to examine nonlinearity and interactions.ResultsA 2-fold increase in maternal magnesium was associated with lower maternal [β=-0.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.10, -0.01] and cord blood (β=-0.08, 95% CI: -0.20, -0.01) mtDNAcn. Lead was associated with higher maternal mtDNAcn (β=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.06). Selenium was associated with longer cord blood TL (β=0.30, 95% CI: 0.01 0.50). An association was observed between the nonessential metal mixture and higher maternal mtDNAcn (β=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07). There was a nonlinear relationship between cord blood mtDNAcn and magnesium; maternal mtDNAcn and barium, lead, and mercury; and maternal TL and barium.DiscussionMaternal exposure to metals such as lead, magnesium, and selenium was associated with mtDNAcn and TL in maternal second trimester and cord blood. Future work will evaluate whether these biomarkers are associated with child health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9294.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc0 licence; © the authors. PMID 34797165 · DOI · PMC8604047
Prenatal metal exposure, cord blood DNA methylation and persistence in childhood: an epigenome-wide association study of 12 metals [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundPrenatal exposure to essential and non-essential metals impacts birth and child health, including fetal growth and neurodevelopment.
- Closing excerpt
- Future research is needed to determine if DNAm partially explains the relationship between prenatal metal exposures and health outcomes.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (204 words)
BackgroundPrenatal exposure to essential and non-essential metals impacts birth and child health, including fetal growth and neurodevelopment. DNA methylation (DNAm) may be involved in pathways linking prenatal metal exposure and health. In the Project Viva cohort, we analyzed the extent to which metals (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cs, Cu, Hg, Mg, Mn, Pb, Se, and Zn) measured in maternal erythrocytes were associated with differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) in cord blood and tested if associations persisted in blood collected in mid-childhood. We measured metal concentrations in first-trimester maternal erythrocytes, and DNAm in cord blood (N = 361) and mid-childhood blood (N = 333, 6-10 years) with the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. For each metal individually, we tested for DMPs using linear models (considered significant at FDR ResultsPb was associated with decreased methylation of cg20608990 (CASP8) (FDR = 0.04), and Mn was associated with increased methylation of cg02042823 (A2BP1) in cord blood (FDR = 9.73 × 10-6). Both associations remained significant but attenuated in blood DNAm collected at mid-childhood (p ConclusionsPrenatal metal exposure is associated with DNAm, including DMRs annotated to genes involved in neurodevelopment. Future research is needed to determine if DNAm partially explains the relationship between prenatal metal exposures and health outcomes.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34798907 · DOI · PMC8605513
Exploring the Role of Umbilical Cord Blood Leptin and Visfatin in Fetal Growth: Associations with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Neonatal Anthropometric Measurements [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Leptin and visfatin are adipokines involved in metabolic regulation and fetal development, but their associations with maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and neonatal growth remain incompletely understood.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings suggest that cord blood adipokine concentrations may reflect aspects of the intrauterine metabolic environment and fetal growth; however, their clinical significance and potential predictive value require confirmation in larger longitudinal studies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (221 words)
Leptin and visfatin are adipokines involved in metabolic regulation and fetal development, but their associations with maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and neonatal growth remain incompletely understood. This study investigated the relationships between umbilical cord blood leptin and visfatin concentrations, maternal GDM status, and neonatal anthropometric characteristics. Umbilical cord blood samples from 88 neonates were analyzed for leptin and visfatin concentrations using ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics v.32. Cord blood leptin concentration was significantly higher in neonates born to mothers with GDM than in those born to mothers without GDM (median [IQR]: 2.22 [1.09] vs. 1.50 [0.77] ng/mL; p = 0.002). Visfatin concentration was positively correlated with birth weight (r = 0.359, p p = 0.029), and differed significantly across neonatal weight categories (p p p = 0.008). In multivariable regression analysis, the models explained 9.3% and 20.5% of the variability in leptin and visfatin concentrations, respectively. Umbilical cord blood leptin and visfatin concentrations were differentially associated with maternal metabolic status and neonatal growth characteristics. GDM status was independently associated with cord blood leptin concentration, whereas neonatal weight category was independently associated with visfatin concentration. These findings suggest that cord blood adipokine concentrations may reflect aspects of the intrauterine metabolic environment and fetal growth; however, their clinical significance and potential predictive value require confirmation in larger longitudinal studies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42884086 · DOI · PMC13665405
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article A systematic review of the role of intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia in the causation of neonatal encephalopathy [5]
- Research article Selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units for hematopoietic cell transplantation: guidelines from the NMDP/CIBMTR [6]
- Research article Ex vivo expansion of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells [7]
- Research article ACOG Committee Opinion No. 348, November 2006: Umbilical cord blood gas and acid-base analysis [8]
- Research article Circulating fetal DNA: its origin and diagnostic potential-a review [9]
- Research article Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: A novel therapeutic paradigm [10]
References
- Yue W, Zhang E, Liu R, Zhang Y, Wang C, Gao S, et al.. The China birth cohort study (CBCS). . 2022. PMID 35146635 · DOI · PMC9110496
- Smith AR, Lin PD, Rifas-Shiman SL, Rahman ML, Gold DR, Baccarelli AA, et al.. Prospective Associations of Early Pregnancy Metal Mixtures with Mitochondria DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length in Maternal and Cord Blood. . 2021. PMID 34797165 · DOI · PMC8604047
- Bozack AK, Rifas-Shiman SL, Coull BA, Baccarelli AA, Wright RO, Amarasiriwardena C, et al.. Prenatal metal exposure, cord blood DNA methylation and persistence in childhood: an epigenome-wide association study of 12 metals. . 2021. PMID 34798907 · DOI · PMC8605513
- Styliou M, Tiptiri-Kourpeti A, Konstantaras P, Tsikouras P, Nalbanti T, Kritsotaki N, et al.. Exploring the Role of Umbilical Cord Blood Leptin and Visfatin in Fetal Growth: Associations with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Neonatal Anthropometric Measurements. . 2026. PMID 42884086 · DOI · PMC13665405
- Graham EM, Ruis KA, Hartman AL, Northington FJ, Fox HE. A systematic review of the role of intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia in the causation of neonatal encephalopathy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008. PMID 19084096 · DOI
- Dehn J, Spellman S, Hurley CK, Shaw BE, Barker JN, Burns LJ, et al.. Selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units for hematopoietic cell transplantation: guidelines from the NMDP/CIBMTR. Blood. 2019. PMID 31292117 · DOI · PMC6753623
- Dahlberg A, Delaney C, Bernstein ID. Ex vivo expansion of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Blood. 2011. PMID 21436068 · DOI · PMC3122936
- ACOG Committee on Obstetric Practice. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 348, November 2006: Umbilical cord blood gas and acid-base analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2006. PMID 17077266 · DOI
- Bianchi DW. Circulating fetal DNA: its origin and diagnostic potential-a review. Placenta. 2004. PMID 15033315 · DOI
- Abbaszadeh H, Ghorbani F, Derakhshani M, Movassaghpour A, Yousefi M. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: A novel therapeutic paradigm. J Cell Physiol. 2020. PMID 31254289 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.