One Case of Improving Weight Gain in Asymmetric Fetal Growth Retardation with a Diet based on Iranian Traditional Medicine

Background: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), that is, an estimated fetal weight less than ten percent of the standard weight for gestational age, is one of the important challenges in modern obstetrics, the management and treatment of which is cause-dependent. Given the lack of an accepted treatment for these patients, this study aimed to introduce a treatment commonly used by Iranian traditional therapists for the improvement of both maternal and fetal weight gain, which is based on nutrition with considerable therapeutic outcomes. Case Presentation: A 27-year-old female patient with singleton pregnancy at the 30th week of pregnancy was referred to the prenatalogy clinic at AkbarAbadi Hospital, Tehran, for routine examinations in February 2016. The fetus ultrasound showed a weight below the 10th percentile of the standard pregnancy weight, hence, IUGR was diagnosed. The mother was not malnourished according to the body mass index before pregnancy, the weight at the first visit, and the evaluation result obtained by the nutritional status questionnaire named recall questionnaire. The diet contained foods that create righteous, humid and warm phlegm in Iranian traditional medicine. The mother's dietaty needs were taken into account and one month prescription was done based on modern medicine. The examination and fetal health were monitored biweekly through phone calls and biometric ultrasound every two weeks. The patient returned to normal diet at the end of 34 weeks. An increase in fetal growth percentile from 10 to 50% was observed in the two ultrasounds performed two and four weeks after the treatment. Conclusion: The production of righteous, humid and warm phlegm by the recommended foods in Iranian Traditional Medicine consumed by the mother clearly improved the fetal growth within one month. When the recommended foods were discontinued and the mother returned to the previous nutritional status, the fetal growth showed a downward trend despite having received enough energy and protein.