Influence of maternal carbohydrate intake on fetal movements at 14 to 16 weeks of gestation.
OBJECTIVE
Ultrasonographic assessment of fetal movements at 14 to 16 weeks of gestation before and after maternal oral intake of carbohydrate.


METHODS
Thirty consecutive healthy pregnant women between 14 and 16 weeks of gestation were scanned transvaginally. Real-time ultrasound recordings of 20 min duration were performed in the fasting state and after an oral intake of 110 g of glucose. The number of fetal movements, body and limb movements and breathing movements were evaluated. Fetal movements were quantified using a digital chronometer, and the percentage of time spent moving and the rate of movements per minute were then calculated. Data was statistically analyzed using the simple and Wilcoxon paired t-test.


RESULTS
Absolute number of fetal movements, body movements, rotation movements, time spent moving and rate of movements per minute showed a statistically significant increase after maternal intake of carbohydrate (p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal oral intake of 110 g of carbohydrate significantly increases fetal movements at 14 to 16 weeks of gestation, thus allowing better ultrasonographic viewing of the fetus.
Goldstein
Israel
I
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa 31096, Israel.
Makhoul
Imad R
IR
Nisman
Daniel
D
Tamir
Ada
A
Escalante
Gerardo
G
Itskovitz-Eldor
Joseph
J
D000328:Adult; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates