Key result
Increasing length of gestation during the last trimester was associated with a small but significant reduction in mean fetal heart rate and an increase in beat-to-beat variation.
Observational (n=15)
Fetal heart rate decreases and beat-to-beat variation increases with advancing gestation in normal pregnancies.
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Supports gestational age-adjusted fetal heart rate norms in monitoring; leaves open outcome prediction in high-risk pregnancies.
Summary Continuous records of fetal heart rate were made weekly during the last trimester of 15 normal pregnancies. Using an ultrasonic technique, a total of 124 records, each lasting 50 minutes, was obtained. With increasing length of gestation there was a small but significant reduction in mean heart rate and an increase in beat‐to‐beat variation. On some occasions, two distinct patterns of beat‐to‐beat variation could be distinguished in the same record. These appeared to be related to fetal movement.
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Wheeler et al. (1974) conducted an observational in Normal pregnancy (n=15). Increasing length of gestation was evaluated on Mean fetal heart rate and beat-to-beat variation. Increasing length of gestation during the last trimester was associated with a small but significant reduction in mean fetal heart rate and an increase in beat-to-beat variation.
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