Fetal Heart Rate Points to Later Child Development

Fetal Heart Rate Points to Later Child Development
FRIDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Checking on fetal heart-ratepatterns can offer insight into how a child's nervous system will developthrough its toddler years, a U.S. study finds.
Johns Hopkins and U.S. National Institutes of Health researcherschecked fetal heart rate and variability -- the degree to which heart rateincreases and decreases within a specific time period -- six times from 20weeks through 38 weeks of gestation in 137 women with normalpregnancies.
When the children born to the women were between 24 months and 36months old, the researchers assessed their mental, motor and languageabilities.
Greater variation in fetal heart rate at about 28 weeks gestationpredicted better performance on a standardized developmental exam at agetwo, and better language skills at 30 months, said the study, which ispublished in the November/December issue of the journal ChildDevelopment.
Fetuses that had more rapid gains in heart rate variation beginning at20 weeks gestation had quicker progression through childhood mental, motorand language milestones than children who had slower fetal gains inheart-rate variations.
According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the basis ofindividual differences in children's development begins duringgestation.
"Further demonstration that these and other indicators of fetalfunctioning supply important information about the developing nervoussystem will enrich our understanding of the importance of the prenatalperiod of life," study lead author Janet DiPietro, a professor in thedepartment of population, family and reproductive health, and associatedean for research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, saidin a prepared statement.
"In turn, such knowledge can contribute to the formation of strategiesfocused on improving prenatal functioning in these arenas by facilitatingpregnancy well-being. However, since current obstetric care alreadyroutinely evaluates heart rate patterning as an indicator of fetaldistress, pregnant women do not need to seek out additional informationabout their baby's heart rate from their providers," DiPietro said.