Trans membranous fetal movement and pressure sensing

Abstract

Amniotic fluid surrounds the fetus and acts as an important factor in fetal growth. Abnormally high amniotic fluid volume (polyhydramnios) can alert fetal anomaliesm, and inadequate amount of liquid (oligohydramnios) affects the lung development. Mild polyhydramnios occurs in 17% of pregnancies, whereas oligohydramnios occurs in 4.5% of pregnancies and severe oligohydramnios occurs in 0.7% of all pregnancies out of which, only 16.5% is diagnosed. The fetal mortality rate is high in oligohydramnios. The main objective of this study is to periodically monitor the amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac during the third trimester of pregnancy. The used sensors are fitted in a belt that was strapped around the lower abdomen. The amniotic fluid pressure was sensed using pressure sensor. The fetal movements were measured using an accelerometer.