Medical-scientific evidence of fetal pain in the first trimester of pregnancy

Abstract

It has been argued that embryos of fewer than 12 weeks of gestation do not feel pain; however, in this review where an analysis of the existing literature was carried out, different authors mention that fetal pain is difficult to assess because the main characteristic necessary to detect pain «is the subject’s ability to declare it». Nonetheless, for this premise, there is no scientific evidence to prove it. There are different structural elements of the development of the central nervous system in the embryo-fetus during the first trimester, such as the formation of peripheral nerves during week 4 and the development of the basic anatomy of the central nervous system at week 6 that suggest that fetal pain could be present. This is based on the fact that the primary development of the cerebral cortex is necessary for the perception of pain.