What it means
The root in words about the unborn baby. Fetal means relating to the fetus, as in fetal heart rate, a fetoscope is a special stethoscope for hearing the fetal heart, and a fetotoxic drug can harm the fetus.
At a glance
| Also written | feto- |
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Related terms
alpha-fetoprotein
A protein made by the fetal liver, measured in a pregnant person's blood as a screening test, and in adults as a tumor marker.
fetal monitor
A device that records the fetal heart rate and the mother's contractions during pregnancy and labor.