AbstractThe effects of acute perinatal ischemia‐hypoxia on fetal liver and brain energy metabolism, fetal brain total free fatty acid concentration and subsequent offspring behavior were investigated in rats. Ischemia‐hypoxia was induced at term either by ligation of the uterine blood vessels or submersion of the entire uterine horn in warmed saline. Fetuses of the adjacent horn served as within‐dam controls for all assessments and fetuses of dams which had not undergone the surgical stress served as independent controls for enzyme assays. Ischemia‐hypoxia was associated with reduced activity of fatty acid synthase in the liver and brain. Total free fatty acid concentration significantly increased in the fetal hypoxic brain. Pups not used for enzyme analyses were cross‐fostered for behavioral assessments. Relative to the enzymatic alterations, there were few behavioral alterations associated with ischemia‐hypoxia. At postnatal day 30, rats made hypoxic by ligation of the uterine blood vessels had decreased caudate nucleus and brain stem weights relative to within‐dam controls. At postnatal day 85, rats made hypoxic by submersion of the uterine horn had decreased olfactory bulb weight. The results of this study indicate an initial acute response to a brief period of ischemia‐hypoxia at term pregnancy in the fetal rat brain and liver.