Fetal Movement Measurement and Technology: A Narrative Review

Stanger, Jonathan; Horey, Dell; Hooker, Leesa; Jenkins, M. L.; Čustović, Edhem

doi:10.1109/access.2017.2716964

Cited by 22 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…These profiles encompass a range and frequency of movements a fetus typically exhibits, including mouth-, lower face-, upper face-, head turn-, touch-movement and eye blinks frequencies, and which are key indicators of healthy development [6,7]. Deviations from the expected profile of fetal movements can signal fetal stress and developmental issues [8][9][10][11][12]. We hypothesized that the lockdown period may affect pregnant women, both psychologically and environmentally, thereby impacting fetal health [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles

Reissland,

Ustun,

Einbeck

2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Purpose The current study investigated the direct impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on fetal movements, addressing a critical research gap. While previous research has predominantly examined the effects of lockdown on maternal health and postnatal outcomes, little attention has been paid to the direct consequences on fetal well-being as indicated by their movement profile. Methods We conducted analysis of movement profiles in 20 healthy fetuses during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (third national UK lockdown period between January and March 2021) and compared them with 20 healthy fetuses from pre-covid pregnancies, all at 32 weeks gestation. We controlled for maternal stress, depression, and anxiety. Results Pregnant mothers during pre-covid compared with those during the COVID-19 lockdown reported similar levels of stress (p = 0.47), depression (p = 0.15), and anxiety (p = 0.07). Their fetuses, however, differed in their movement profiles with mouth movement frequencies significantly higher during COVID-19 lockdown (COVID-19 lockdown: mean of 5.909) compared to pre-Covid pregnancies (mean of 3.308; p = 0.029). Furthermore, controlling for maternal anxiety a regression analysis indicated that frequency of fetal mouth movements (p = 0.017), upper face movements (p = 0.008), and touch movements (p = 0.031) were all significantly higher in fetuses observed during lockdown compared to fetuses before the Covid period. Conclusion Fetuses show an effect of lockdown independent of maternal anxiety, stress, or depression. These findings contribute to our understanding of fetal development during extraordinary circumstances, raising questions about the potential effects of having to stay indoors during lockdowns.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles

Reissland,

Ustun,

Einbeck

2024

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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“…Fetal movement (FM) has long been used as an important indicator of fetal health and neurobehavioral development [ 1 ]. The assessment of FM is an accepted method of identifying adverse pregnancy outcomes, including intrauterine growth restriction [ 2 ], oligohydramnios [ 3 ], and stillbirth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Contact Monitoring of Fetal Movement Using Abdominal Video Recording

Qiao

Hao

Yang

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Fetal movement (FM) is an important indicator of fetal health. However, the current methods of FM detection are unsuitable for ambulatory or long-term observation. This paper proposes a non-contact method for monitoring FM. We recorded abdominal videos from pregnant women and then detected the maternal abdominal region within each frame. FM signals were acquired by optical flow color-coding, ensemble empirical mode decomposition, energy ratio, and correlation analysis. FM spikes, indicating the occurrence of FMs, were recognized using the differential threshold method. FM parameters including number, interval, duration, and percentage were calculated, and good agreement was found with the manual labeling performed by the professionals, achieving true detection rate, positive predictive value, sensitivity, accuracy, and F1_score of 95.75%, 95.26%, 95.75%, 91.40%, and 95.50%, respectively. The changes in FM parameters with gestational week were consistent with pregnancy progress. In general, this study provides a novel contactless FM monitoring technology for use at home.

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“…Specifically, our study focuses on evaluating the effects of lockdown during Covid-19 on fetal movement profiles, which is a non-invasive method for evaluating healthy fetal development [7,8]. Deviations from the expected profile of fetal movements can indicate fetal stress [9,10,11,12,13]. Moreover, light exposure has been linked to the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial successful pregnancies [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Lockdown during the Covid Pandemic on Fetal Movement Profiles

Reissland,

Ustun,

Einbeck

2023

Preprint

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Purpose The current study aimed to investigate the direct impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on fetal movements, addressing a critical research gap. While previous research has predominantly examined the effects of lockdown on maternal health and postnatal outcomes, little attention has been paid to the direct consequences on fetal well-being. Methods We conducted a comparative analysis of movement profiles in 20 healthy fetuses during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown (third national UK lockdown period between January and March 2021) and compared them with 20 healthy fetuses from pre-covid pregnancies, all at 32 weeks gestation. We controlled for maternal stress, depression, and anxiety. Results Pregnant mothers during pre-covid compared with those during the Covid-19 lockdown reported similar levels of stress (p = 0.47), depression (p = 0.15), and anxiety (p = 0. 07). Their fetuses, however, differed in their movement profiles with mouth movement frequencies significantly higher during Covid-19 lockdown (Covid-19 lockdown: mean of 5.909; p = 0.029) being compared to pre-Covid pregnancies (mean of 3.308). Controlling for maternal anxiety a regression analysis indicated that fetal mouth movements (p = 0.017), upper face movements (p = 0.008), and touch movements (p = 0.031) were all significantly higher in fetuses observed during lockdown compared to fetuses before the Covid period. Conclusion Fetuses show an effect of lockdown independent of maternal anxiety, stress, or depression. These findings contribute to our understanding of fetal development during extraordinary circumstances, raising questions about the potential effects of reduced light exposure and its implications for maternal thyroid function during lockdowns.

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Fetal Movement Measurement and Technology: A Narrative Review

Cited by 22 publications

References 60 publications

The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles

The effects of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on fetal movement profiles

Non-Contact Monitoring of Fetal Movement Using Abdominal Video Recording

The Effects of Lockdown during the Covid Pandemic on Fetal Movement Profiles

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