Uterine and umbilical artery velocimetry during normal labor

Twelve normal parturients were studied with a continuous wave Doppler unit to assess changes in uterine and umbilical velocity waveforms during labor. The analysis of these waveforms included the peak systolic/end-diastolic ratio and the evaluation of a diastolic notch. Each woman served as her own control, and all fetal heart rate tracings were normal. In latent phase labor and intact membranes, the umbilical artery systolic/end diastolic ratios before, during, and after a contraction were 2 +/- 0.2, 2 +/- 0.3 and 1.95 +/- 0.3 (N.S.). Similar results were obtained in the active phase, after rupture of membranes, or during oxytocin stimulation. This stability of the fetal cardiovascular system ensures an uninterrupted gas exchange process during the contractions (on the fetal side), enabling the great majority of term fetuses to tolerate labor with minimal if any metabolic changes. The uterine artery end-diastolic velocity fell progressively during the contraction, reaching 0 when the intrauterine pressure exceeded 35 mm Hg. Despite intrauterine pressure of greater than 60 mm Hg, the diastolic notch did not appear. Thus at term, the umbilical artery velocity waveform does not change over a wide range of uterine pressures. The changes seen in the uterine artery waveforms suggest that the end-diastolic component is primarily determined by changes in the arcuate and spiral arteries, both of which are affected during the uterine contraction.