ABSTRACT
The main form of fetal long bone development is endochondral ossification. In recent years, studies have shown that the mother during pregnancy with bad environmental exposure to high levels of endogenous glucocorticoid (GC) and premature use of artificial synthetic GC can go through the placenta into the fetal body, cause fetal blood GC levels, leading to intrauterine retardation, and affect fetal cartilage ossification. This effect can extend beyond birth and even into old age, leading to susceptibility and heritability of osteoporosis in offsprings. This review summarizes the current status of glucocorticoid exposure during pregnancy, summarizes the short-term and long-term effects of intrauterine GC exposure on long bone development in offsprings, and explains the possible mechanism of intrauterine endocrine programming, which lays a theoretical foundation for the prevention and treatment of fetal bone diseases caused by GC exposure during pregnancy and the future research direction of developmental diseases.