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The effect of intermittent maternal fasting on computerized fetal heart tracing
Hisham M Mirghani1, Sarath Weerasinghe, Shamsaa Al-Awar
1Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology (H.M.M., S.W., S.A.A., M.E.), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Objective:
To determine effects of maternal fasting on antepartum computerized fetal heart tracing analysis.
Study Design:
This was a cross-sectional study of two groups of healthy pregnant women who were recruited, a fasting and a nonfasting control group. Each pregnant woman gave a blood sample, and had a computerized fetal heart tracing.
Results:
A total of 124 pregnant women were studied. The mean hours since the last oral intake were significantly different between the two groups (p=0.003). Fetuses of fasted mothers had fewer episodes of large acceleration compared to the controls (p=0.001). This difference was significantly associated with maternal appreciation of fetal movement (p=0.003).
Conclusion:
The number of large accelerations in computerized fetal heart tracing is decreased in pregnant women abstaining from food and water.
