Adaptation of the fetus to sequential cardiotocographic examinations and the development of closed loops of self-regulation
26.09.2025
17:17
Russian researchers studied changes in fetal heart rate variability (HRV) during antenatal cardiotocographic (CTG) monitoring. The study included data from 13,520 CTG recordings obtained from 3,380 pregnant women. The analysis was performed using clustering methods and statistical analysis of HRV.
Antenatal CTG monitoring revealed a consistent pattern of fetal HRV changes, which may indicate adaptive processes. The initial HRV increase is a response to the stimulus, whereas the subsequent reduction reflects the formation of self-regulatory mechanisms. Strategy-type habituation (STH) correlated with the maturity of fetal regulatory systems. In some cases, HRV reduction was associated with dysregulation and neonatal complications.
HRV dynamics can serve as an objective and quantitative criterion for assessing fetal physiological states and predicting potential deviations.
