[Doppler studies of arterial blood flow in the uterus during labor]

By the pulsed doppler method the arterial uterine blood velocity was studied in 19 patients with contractions before and during labour. It is shown, that uterine contractions reduce blood velocity significantly. Normally there is a low resistance in uterine arteries, so that the diastolic flow is nearly as high as the systolic flow. In uterine contractions the vascular resistance increases. Systolic flow is reduced slightly and diastolic flow severely or completely. But a complete zero-flow couldn't observed in any studied uterine contraction.