MEDICATIONS: SPECIAL TESTS FOR MONITORING FETAL HEALTH

Many tests may be used to check on the well-being of your baby during pregnancy. Most of the time, these tests help assure you and your doctor that all is going well. If problems arise, these tests can help alert your doctor that you or your baby may need special care.

Why Tests Are Done
Monitoring may be done during pregnancy to help check the health, activity level, and growth of the fetus. It also may be done to help detect any problems and to find out if further tests are needed.

Who Should Be Monitored?
The need for tests and the type of tests depend on the stage of your pregnancy, any risk factors, and the results of routine tests.

Types of Tests
The tests used to monitor fetal health include fetal movement counts, ultrasound, nonstress test, biophysical profile, and contraction stress test.

Fetal Movement Counts
You may be asked to keep track of your baby's movements. Fetal movement counting is a test that you can do at home to help check on your baby's health. Sometimes it is called kick counts.

Obstetric Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a way to examine the fetus using sound waves. With this exam, pictures of the baby appear on a screen similar to a television.

Nonstress Test
The nonstress test measures the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Usually the baby's heart beats faster when he or she moves. Such changes in the fetal heart rate are believed to be a sign of good health.

Biophysical Profile
In some cases, a combination of the nonstress test and an ultrasound exam may be done. This test is called a biophysical profile. It checks fetal well-being in these five areas:

A biophysical profile does not cause any harm to the fetus. If the results are normal (a score of 8 or 10), it is most often repeated weekly. In some cases, it will be repeated more often. If the results are abnormal, this may mean that additional tests are needed or, in some cases, that the baby needs to be delivered.

Contraction Stress Test
The contraction stress test measures how the fetal heart rate reacts when the uterus contracts. For this test, the fetal heart rate and the contractions of the uterus are recorded at the same time.

Finally...
Although no test is 100 percent accurate, testing can reassure you and your doctor that all is going well with your baby. If there is a problem, tests may help your doctor find it and treat it. Keep in mind that tests cannot always find a problem, or the results may say there is a problem when there isn't one. Results of your test may mean that your baby will need special care during pregnancy. This will help keep you and your baby as healthy as possible.

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