Antepartum fetal monitoring aims to lower the chance of stillbirth. Antepartum fetal monitoring techniques based on fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns have been in clinical use for almost four decades and are used to evaluate fetal well-being in conjunction with real-time ultrasonography and umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry. Antepartum fetal surveillance methods are widely used to estimate the risk of fetal mortality in pregnancies complicated by pre existing maternal diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus) as well as in pregnancies in which difficulties have arisen (eg, fetal growth restriction).
The goal of this publication is to give an overview of current indications and procedures for antepartum fetal surveillance, as well as establish treatment guidelines for antepartum fetal surveillance that are compatible with the best scientific evidence.
