Breast massage to obtain contraction stress test.
A standard contraction stress test (CST) is usually obtained by the intravenous infusion of exogenous oxytocin for 1 to 3 hours. To assess whether breast massage could elicit a CST, 30 high-risk pregnant women between 37 and 44 weeks gestation massaged their breasts with mineral oil for a maximum of 40 to 60 minutes. Of the 21 patients (70%) who met the CST criterion, 15 had at least one spontaneous uterine contraction in the 20 minutes preceding breast massage, p = .05. Thirty-three percent of those who met the CST criterion did so within 10 minutes of the start of breast massage, and 95% met the criterion within 40 minutes. Other factors, including weeks gestation, parity, overstimulation, and fetal heart rate deceleration that could reasonably influence the effectiveness of the procedure are discussed. Breast massage appears to be an effective method for meeting the CST criterion.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001940:Breast; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors; D014590:Uterine Contraction