Fetal Heart Monitoring
Alternate Names : External Fetal Monitoring, Fetal Heart Rate Tracing, Intrapartum Fetal Monitoring, Internal Fetal Monitoring
What do the test results mean?
Fetal heart rate during labor varies. The normal range is from 120 to 160 beats per minute. Heartbeat speeds up and slows down slightly during and after a contraction. Abnormal heartbeat patterns may indicate:
fetal distress. It can be either an ongoing problem or develop suddenly.
fever in either the woman or the fetus. This usually indicates an infection.
an umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck or compressed during a contraction.
inability of the fetus to withstand the stress of labor.
Abnormal uterine contraction patterns may indicate:
slow progress of labor. This may be due to dehydration or insufficient amounts ofoxytocin, a medicine used to cause labor and delivery.
abnormally prolonged and intense contractions. This may be due to placenta abruptio or the use of too much oxytocin.
irritable uterus, or a uterus that contracts too frequently due to irritation. This may be the result of premature labor or fever.
Any of these results may require an immediate cesarean section or other form of intervention to prevent serious complication for mother or baby.
|
Previous section
