Fetal sensory‐elicited body movements differ in breech compared to cephalic position

Meulen, J.A. Van der; Davies, Gregory; Kisilevsky, Barbara S.

doi:10.1002/dev.20306

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Considering the circumstance of the fetus during this period of gestation – positioned in flexion often with knees near the ears – it seems clear that motor activity is an endogenously generated attribute. This supposition is further supported by the lack of our ability to detect motor activity differences in breech versus vertex fetuses, confirming reports of others (Kean, Suwanrath, Gargari, Sahota, & James, 1999; Van der Meulen, Davies, & Kisilevsky, 2008) despite the dramatic difference in postural constraints imposed by these presentations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Untitled

DiPietro¹,

Costigan²,

Voegtline³

2015

Monographs Society Res Child

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among the earliest volumes of this Monograph series was a report by Lester Sontag and colleagues, of the esteemed Fels Institute, on the heart rate of the human fetus as an expression of the developing nervous system. Here, some 75 years later, we commemorate this work and provide historical and contemporary context on knowledge regarding fetal development, as well as results from our own research. These are based on synchronized monitoring of maternal and fetal parameters assessed between 24 and 36 weeks gestation on 740 maternal-fetal pairs compiled from eight separate longitudinal studies, which commenced in the early 1990s. Data include maternal heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and electrodermal activity and fetal heart rate, motor activity, and their integration. Hierarchical linear modeling of developmental trajectories reveals that the fetus develops in predictable ways consistent with advancing parasympathetic regulation. Findings also include: within-fetus stability (i.e., preservation of rank ordering over time) for heart rate, motor, and coupling measures; a transitional period of decelerating development near 30 weeks gestation; sex differences in fetal heart rate measures but not in most fetal motor activity measures; modest correspondence in fetal neurodevelopment among siblings as compared to unrelated fetuses; and deviations from normative fetal development in fetuses affected by intrauterine growth restriction and other conditions. Maternal parameters also change during this period of gestation and there is evidence that fetal sex and individual variation in fetal neurobehavior influence maternal physiological processes and the local intrauterine context. Results are discussed within the framework of neuromaturation, the emergence of individual differences, and the bidirectional nature of the maternal-fetal relationship. We pose a number of open questions for future research. Although the human fetus remains just out of reach, new technologies portend an era of accelerated discovery of the earliest period of development.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Untitled

DiPietro¹,

Costigan²,

Voegtline³

2015

Monographs Society Res Child

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In our study, the mothers of fetuses with transverse presentation had a higher percentage for the perception of DFM, but this difference was not statistically significant. A Canadian study of 28 fetuses indicated that there are no differences in the spontaneous fetal heart rate, body or breathing movements in fetuses in the breech position compared with the cephalic position, but fetuses in the breech position showed atypical movement responses to vibroacoustic and airborne sound stimuli [7]. Sherer et al in their study of 465 pregnant women, reported that the fetal presentation was not significantly different between the patients based on the score of fetal movements [5].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has shown that fetal movements are affected by many factors including amniotic fluid volume [5], placental location [6], fetal presentation [7], and fetal gender [8]. Maternal factors could influence fetal movements; in different studies maternal smoking, primiparity, obesity and acute exercise were associated with DFM [2, 6, 9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal perception of decreased fetal movements from maternal and fetal perspectives, a cohort study

Sheikh

Hantoushzadeh

Shariat

2014

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMaternal counting of fetal movement is a popular and valuable screening tool of fetal wellbeing, however it is still not known what percentage of healthy pregnant women who gave birth to healthy term newborns had experienced decreased fetal movements during gestation and what maternal and fetal factors are associated with this maternal perception of decreased fetal movements. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between maternal perception of decreased fetal movements and maternal and fetal factors in normotensive singleton pregnancies with good pregnancy outcome.MethodsThis study was conducted on 729 normotensive singleton pregnant women who had referred for prenatal visit and on follow up gave birth to healthy term newborns. A questionnaire was completed for the participants and ultrasound imaging was performed. Participants were asked to count their fetal movements for one hour/3times/day. Participants were followed till delivery to exclude mothers with preterm and/or small for gestational age delivery from the study.ResultsPerception of decreased fetal movement was independently associated with maternal employment (Odds Ratio (OR), 2.66; 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI), 1.35–5.23), not having daily exercise (OR, 4.38; 95% CI, 1.56-8.08) and maternal supine position (OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.71–8.83).Conclusions8.1% of healthy pregnant women who have good pregnancy outcome report perception of decreased fetal movement when asked to count their fetal movement in third gestational trimester which is independently associated with maternal employment, supine position on counting and not having daily exercise.

show abstract

“…One may speculate that suboptimal maternal thyroid function (reflected by high TSH) might affect the neural processes involved in changes of foetal position. Second, foetuses in breech position show different sensory experiences compared to those presenting in cephalic position 9 . Although this was explained in terms of more amniotic fluid surrounding the head in breech, also this effect might have been because of suboptimal maternal–foetal thyroid hormone supply.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High thyrotrophin levels at end term increase the risk of breech presentation

Kooistra¹,

Kuppens²,

Hasaart³

et al. 2010

Clinical Endocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Objective To study the relationship between maternal thyrotrophin (TSH) and breech presentation at term. Design Combined data sets of two prospective studies to obtain adequate epidemiological power. Patients One thousand and fifty‐eight healthy pregnant women (58 breech, 1000 cephalic) and 131 women who presented in breech at an obstetrical outpatient clinic. Measurements Maternal thyroid parameters [TSH, free thyroid hormone (FT4), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO‐Ab)] and foetal presentation were assessed in both groups between 35 and 38 weeks gestation. Power calculations suggested that at least 148 breech cases were required. Results The characteristics of the women in breech in both samples were similar. Women in breech (n = 58 + 131) had significantly higher TSH (but not FT4) than those (n = 1000) with cephalic presentation (Mann–Whitney U‐test, P = 0·003). Different cut‐offs were used to define high TSH in the 916 TPO‐Ab‐negative women with cephalic presentation: the 90th, 95th and 97·5th percentiles were 2·4 mIU/l (n = 149), 2·7 mIU/l (n = 77) and 3·2 mIU/l (n = 37). The prevalence rates of breech presentation in these women were all higher compared to the prevalence of breech in women below these cut‐offs (df = 1, P < 0·01). The relative risk of the 149 women with a TSH >90th percentile (>2·4 mIU/l) to present in breech was 1·82 (95% CI: 1·30–2·56). Conclusions Women with high TSH at end term are at risk for breech presentation. Substantial evidence for a relation between breech presentation and neurodevelopmental delay exists. As high TSH during gestation has also been linked to poor neurodevelopment, the relation between breech presentation and poor neurodevelopment might be thyroid‐related.

show abstract

Fetal sensory‐elicited body movements differ in breech compared to cephalic position

Abstract: Behavior was examined in 28 near term fetuses in the breech versus cephalic position. Breech fetuses had fewer body movements to a vibroacoustic stimulus and more to an airborne sound. These findings raise the possibility of differential perceptual experience before birth.

Cited by 13 publications

References 28 publications

Untitled

Untitled

Maternal perception of decreased fetal movements from maternal and fetal perspectives, a cohort study

High thyrotrophin levels at end term increase the risk of breech presentation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About