Foetal Heart Rate Predicts Children’s Development

A new study by US researchers suggests that it might be possible to predict the rate at which children develop through their toddler years by measuring their heart rate patterns before birth. The findings confirm the long standing belief of obstetricians that heart rate patterns are important indicators of foetal well-being during the prenatal period as well as after delivery.

For the new study, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions looked at children born to 137 healthy women with normal pregnancies.

Between 20 and 38 weeks of gestation, the scientists measured foetal heart rate and variability six times for all women. Variability in foetal heart rate refers to the degree to which heart rate of the foetus gets faster and slower within a specific time period. After birth, the children were examined once again between the ages of 24 and 36 months to check their mental, motor, and language abilities.

The researchers found that those children who had greater variations in foetal heart rate at about 28 weeks of gestation performed better on a standardised developmental exam at two years of age. Such children were also found to be more proficient in their language ability when around two and half years old.

Compared to foetuses with slower gains in heart rate variation at 20 weeks gestation, those that had more rapid gains progressed through mental, motor, and language milestones much more quickly as children.

Based on their findings, the researchers believe the differences seen in development in children begin right from gestation and the developmental momentum gained during gestation continues even after birth. In their opinion, differences seen in variations in foetal heart rate even midway through pregnancy can give an idea about children’s developing nervous systems after birth and through their toddler years.

“Further demonstration that these and other indicators of foetal functioning supply important information about the developing nervous system will enrich our understanding of the importance of the prenatal period for later life,” said study leader Dr. Janet DiPietro, a professor in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health and Associate Dean for Research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“In turn, such knowledge can contribute to the formulation of strategies focused on improving prenatal functioning in these arenas by facilitating pregnancy well-being. However, since current obstetric care already routinely evaluates heart rate patterning as an indicator of foetal distress, pregnant women do not need to seek out additional information about their baby’s heart rate from their providers,” she added.

Findings of the study have been published in the November/December 2007 issue of the journal Child Development.

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