A–Z Glossary

Fetal scalp electrode

A fetal scalp electrode is an internal monitor used after membranes rupture to measure fetal heart rate more directly.

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External vs internal fetal monitoring methods

External vs internal fetal monitoring methods

What fetal monitoring is trying to answer During labor, contractions temporarily reduce uteroplacental blood flow. A healthy fetus usually tolerates this normal physiologic stress, and the fetal heart rate pattern gives clinicians indirect information about oxygenation, autonomic nervous system response, and reserve. Monitoring is therefore not simply about one number. It is about the baseline […]

Continuous vs intermittent monitoring and why it is used

Continuous vs intermittent monitoring and why it is used

What monitoring is trying to answer Fetal monitoring in labor is designed to answer a focused question: how is the fetus tolerating uterine contractions and the changing oxygen environment of birth? Contractions temporarily reduce uteroplacental blood flow. Most fetuses compensate well, but certain patterns in the fetal heart rate can suggest reduced reserve, evolving hypoxemia, […]