The effect of intermittent maternal fasting on computerized fetal heart tracing.

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.