fetal assessment center tests

Nonstress Testing

You will be placed in a comfortable reclining chair for the test. A fetal monitor is placed on your abdomen which allows us to hear and record the fetal heart rate. This test takes 20 to 40 minutes to perform.

Amniotic Fluid Index

This is a measurement of the amniotic fluid around the baby. The amount of amniotic fluid changes as the pregnancy progresses. The nurse uses ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid. Normal fluid helps to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

The Doppler

The doppler is also performed using ultrasound. A portion of fetal umbilical cord is located with ultrasound and then a doppler is used to record the blood flow through the umbilical cord artery. This gives your physician information about how easily blood passes through the placenta.

Sonographic Fetal Activity

This test uses ultrasound to evaluate three types of fetal activity: breathing, limb movements and fetal muscle tone.

Biophysical Profile

This test combines the Nonstress Test, Amniotic Fluid Index and Sonographic Fetal Activity as a numerical score. This number provides numeric evaluation of fetal well-being, much like the Apgar score given the newborn infant.