Fetal behavior in smoking compared to non-smoking pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of maternal smoking on fetal spontaneous behavior and auditory processing.


METHODS
38 fetuses of smoking (n=18) and non-smoking (n=20) mothers, stratified by gestational age (<37, >or=37 weeks GA), were examined at least 1h following smoking. Observations included spontaneous fetal heart rate (FHR; 20 min) and body movements (20 min) followed by a 2 min audiotape of the mother reading a story while FHR and body movements were recorded.


RESULTS
There were no differences in spontaneous behaviors; full-term fetuses showed a FHR acceleration and body movement during the mother's voice. A FHR response following voice offset was limited to fetuses less than 37 weeks GA of non-smoking mothers.


CONCLUSIONS
Fetuses less than 37 weeks GA of mothers who smoke throughout pregnancy have a delayed onset of response to the maternal voice, a subtle difference which may have implications for later language development for prematurely born infants which needs further investigation.
Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
B
B
Cowperthwaite
S M J
SM
Hains
B S
BS
Kisilevsky
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012119:Respiration; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*