‘Reds flags’ in antenatal care: Fetal movements and fetal growth

Assessment of fetal growth using customised growth charts: NICE antenatal care guidelines vs Best Practice

Antenatal maternal hypoxia: criterion for fetal growth restriction in rodents

Rodents are a useful model for life science research. Accumulating evidence suggests that the offspring of mice and rats suffer from similar disorders as humans when exposed to hypoxia during pregnancy. Importantly, with antenatal hypoxic exposure, human neonates demonstrate low birth weight or growth restriction. Similarly, with antenatal hypoxic exposure rodents also demonstrate the fetal gro...

Reduced fetal movements

The association between a reduction in fetal movements (RFM) and stillbirth has been noted for at least 450 years. This was formalised from the 1970s onwards in a series of studies that noted the increased incidence of stillbirth and FGR in women presenting with RFM, which in some cases preceded intrauterine fetal death by several days. Interpretation of the literature relating RFM to stillbirt...

Reduced Fetal Movements

Reduced Fetal Movements

Maternal awareness of fetal movements serves as an indicator of fetal wellbeing and its reduction alerts clinicians to pregnancies at risk of complications. A reduction of fetal movements (FM) causes concern and anxiety, both for the mother and obstetrician, and is a common reason for referral to hospital. Decreased fetal movements affect up to 15% of pregnancies (Sergent et al., 2005; Heazell ...