CTG (Fetal monitor)

The best method for monitoring the condition of the fetus is by registering its heartbeat.  We advise the CTG monitoring after week 28 and, depending on the condition of the pregnancy, it could be done once a month or more often in high-risk pregnancies.

  If only the baby’s heartbeat is registered and there are no uterine contractions, we would say that it is a non-stress test, which is a vital sign of the condition of the fetus. If there ate uterine contractions, they deplete the fetoplacental units that are a pre-requisition for a safe delivery. If there are uterine contractions while monitoring the fetus’ heartbeat by CTG fetal monitor, whether the contractions are spontaneous or Oxytocin induced, we call this a stress test. We monitor for these cardiotocographic criteria:

• Bradycardia – when the heart frequency is under 120 heartbeats per minute, and tachycardia – when the heart frequency is over 160 heartbeats per minute
• Variability of heart frequency is normal. The absence of variations indicates fetal distress
• Acceleration – if the heartbeat is sped up by 15 heartbeats per minute, it is a sign of the good condition of the fetus.
• Deceleration- when the frequency is under the baseline. We distinguish early, late and saltatory deceleration. The last two are indicators of fetal distress.

If during the CTG monitoring we witness the fetus in distress, we recommend a quick delivery.