Key result
Male fetal sex shows no link to altered computerized cardiotocography parameters compared to female fetuses.
Why the study?
Fetal sex influences pregnancy outcomes, but its impact on fetal heart rate variability in uncomplicated pregnancies remains unclear.
Does fetal sex affect computerized cardiotocography parameters in uncomplicated term singleton pregnancies?
Observational (n=689)
No
Does fetal sex affect computerized cardiotocography parameters in uncomplicated term singleton pregnancies?
Absolute Event Rate: 10.1% vs 9.65%
p-value: p=0.32
Fetal sex does not significantly affect computerized cardiotocography parameters in uncomplicated term singleton pregnancies and does not need to be factored into interpretation.
May not require fetal sex adjustment in computerized CTG interpretation of uncomplicated term pregnancies; leaves open relevance in complicated or preterm cases.
Fetal sex has been identified as an important factor influencing pregnancy outcomes, but its impact on fetal heart rate (FHR) variability in uncomplicated pregnancies is still unclear. The objective of the study was to assess short-term variability (STV) and other computerized cardiotocography (cCTG) parameters in relation to fetal sex during fetal antepartum surveillance. We retrospective compared cCTG parameters of male and female fetuses in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at term. In addition to univariate analysis, a multivariate analysis was performed taking into account maternal characteristics. A total of 689 cCTG recordings were analyzed: 335 from male fetuses and 354 from female fetuses. Analysis of cCTG results by fetal sex showed no significant difference in percentage of signal loss, number of contractions, movements, accelerations and decelerations, long-term variability (LTV), and STV at both uni-and multivariate analysis. There was a statistically significant difference for baseline FHR at the univariate analysis, which was not confirmed by a multivariate analysis. Our results suggest that fetal sex did not affect cCTG parameters in uncomplicated term singleton pregnancies, and therefore it does not need to be taken into account when interpreting cCTG in physiological conditions.
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Magro‐Malosso et al. (2019) conducted an observational in Uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at term (n=689). Male fetal sex vs. Female fetal sex was evaluated on Short-term variability (STV) in milliseconds (p=0.32). Male fetal sex did not significantly affect computerized cardiotocography parameters, including short-term variability (multivariate p=0.32), compared to female fetuses in uncomplicated term pregnancies.
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