Assessing the future mother’s health is an important matter. By conducting appropriate tests, it is possible to accurately assess the course of pregnancy, as well as detect dangers that may threaten the woman and the baby. Most often, the so-called extended profile for pregnant women.
This type of test involves analyzing blood and urine. In addition, it is worth knowing what the CTG test is, i.e. cardiotocography, which almost every woman undergoes at the end of pregnancy.
What CTG can do and how the examination looks like
It does not involve any risk, it does not have to be preceded by special tests or treatments. The whole process usually lasts about half an hour, but sometimes, if necessary, it can be performed for several hours or repeated.
During the examination, the woman usually lies on her side, thanks to which the enlarged uterus will not compress the vein, through which blood returns from the lower parts of the body to the heart. Two small heads are mounted on the belly of the future mother, which are then fastened with straps to prevent them from moving.
- One of the heads records the work of the child’s heart,
- The second is the contraction of the uterus.
If the woman feels the baby move, she can press the button on the device. In conclusion, the CTG test is a way to determine whether the baby’s body is getting the right, sufficient amount of oxygen, mainly during labor contractions of the uterus.
In some hospitals, you can find modern CTG machines that allow the pregnant woman to walk during the examination. Movement makes contractions less painful. The data reaches the cardiotocograph by radio instead of a cable, and the pregnant woman can move freely.
Why is CTG important?
The essence of the examination is to determine whether the child is at risk of hypoxia, which may be dangerous for him. If pregnancy and childbirth do not cause problems, i.e. uterine contraction does not cause complications in the flow of oxygen, the placenta is efficient and the baby’s heart is working properly, everything is fine. However, it may happen that the placenta is inefficient due to, for example, diabetes, pregnancy, hypertension, and therefore uterine contractions will cause a decrease in oxygen in the blood and may disturb the work of the heart.
If the cardiotocography shows complications, the slightest changes in the work of the heart will be noticed, and doctors have the opportunity to perform a caesarean section as soon as possible. Such a test is also performed as a result of the so-called the oxytocin test, which helps to determine how the baby will react to the appearance of contractions.