Perinatal health and translational medicine

"Throughout fetal life, tissues and organs of the body are found at a critical period of development which coincides with the period of rapid cell division. When faced with lack of nutrients and hypoxia, the first fetal adaptation is a decrease in cell division rate. This cell division rate occurs both by direct effect of nitrogen starvation, and by hormonal and growth factors changes1. A reduction in the number of cells, the change in structure and functioning of organs, permanent change in DNA methylation, and in gene expression have also been considered to be molecular mechanisms responsible for fetal programming1."