What is KTG: information for pregnant women

What is KTG? Many pregnant women are asking this question to their doctor . The doctor, as a rule, gets off with a couple of standard phrases, or simply says that "it is necessary for the child." Those who want to better understand the essence of this study - cardiotocography - and this article is intended.

So, CTG. What it is. This is the name for the method of functional evaluation of the fetus's well-being during pregnancy and during childbirth on the basis of monitoring the frequency of the baby's heartbeat and its changes. Various factors can affect the rhythm of cardiac contractions, as external factors: uterine contractions, environmental conditions, and internal: fetal activity.

The child's heart is tapped with a special ultrasonic sensor. The frequency of its operation is one and a half to two megahertz. The sensor is attached to the front wall of the abdomen of the pregnant woman, in the place where the heart tones of the fetus are best listened. The device generates a signal, which, reflected from the heart of the child, comes back. Electronics calculates the intervals between heart beats and counts their number per minute.

The result of the study is a tape with a graph, and it is displayed in digital format on the screen of the device.

But this is not an exhaustive answer to the question, what is KTG. In addition to heart rate (heart rate), the monitor registers and uterine contractions, using a sensor that is attached in the upper front part of the abdomen - near the bottom of this organ. In the hand of the woman is given a remote control, on which there is a button. To press it it is necessary at that moment when the child starts to move.

The decoding of the device record allows us to understand the relationship of these two groups of data to the actual state of the fetus. First of all, they talk about the reactivity of the child's nervous system and the state of his adaptive reactions.

It turns out, what is KTG? It's the same ultrasound, but slightly different. It takes a much longer procedure: according to the rules, it must be spent at least an hour. In women's consultations, the study often takes 15 minutes, which, of course, lowers the value of the information received and increases the probability of errors in the interpretation of the results.

On the basis of the results of a correctly performed diagnosis, one can indirectly judge the presence or absence of pathological processes in the fetal organism and assume their character. In particular, hypoxia is detected in this way and its degree is determined, but not always those signs that indicate an oxygen deficiency are a valid basis for the diagnosis.

Therefore, the doctor must warn the future mother what KTG is. This is just an additional method of diagnosis.

Conditions for cardiotocography

In order to obtain more or less reliable information about the state of the fetus, several conditions must be met during the research.

1. Diagnosis can be carried out only after the 32nd week of pregnancy. Sometimes a doctor at a women's clinic appoints her at an earlier time, but it is important to know what the CTG of a fetus is fraught with a very high percentage of false results.
2. During the recording session, the fruit must necessarily be active, at least some part of the time. The duration of the procedure is connected with this - not less than 40 minutes, and better - 1 hour.
3. Pregnant can be during recording in the sitting position, lying on the back or on the left side.

According to the doctors, the method of CTG is absolutely harmless and safe, in connection with which it was included in the program, mandatory for all future mothers. If you are an opponent of ultrasound research, then cardiotocography will not work for you. In uncomplicated pregnancy, a healthy woman has no special need for it - enough regular listening to the baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope and counting the perturbations during the day.