Foetal heart rate power spectrum response to uterine contraction

Cardiotocography is the most diffused prenatal diagnostic technique in clinical routine. The simultaneous recording of foetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contractions (UC) provides useful information about foetal well-being during pregnancy and labour. However, foetal electronic monitoring interpretation still lacks reproducibility and objectivity. New methods of interpretation and new parameters can further support physicians’ decisions. Besides common time-domain analysis, study of the variability of FHR can potentially reveal autonomic nervous system activity of the foetus. In particular, it is clinically relevant to investigate foetal reactions to UC to diagnose foetal distress early. Uterine contraction being a strong stimulus for the foetus and its autonomic nervous system, it is worth exploring the FHR variability response. This study aims to analyse modifications of the power spectrum of FHR variability corresponding to UC. Cardiotocographic signal tracts corresponding to 127 UC relative to 30 healthy foetuses were analysed. Results mainly show a general, statistically significant (t test, p<0.01) power increase of the FHR variability in the LF 0.03–0.2 Hz and HF 0.2–1 in correspondence of the contraction with respect to a reference tract set before contraction onset. Time evolution of the power within these bands was computed by means of time-varying spectral estimation to concisely show the FHR response along a uterine contraction. A synchronised grand average of these responses was also computed to verify repeatability, using the contraction apex as time reference. Such modifications of the foetal HRV that follow a contraction can be a sign of ANS reaction and, therefore, additional, objective information about foetal reactivity during labour.