The association between increased subjective sensation of fetal movements and pregnancy outcome–a prospective cohort and a retrospective comparative analysis

Abstract

Objective: To determine pregnancy outcomes in women with subjective sensation of increased fetal movements (IFM). Methods: A prospective cohort study of women after 20 weeks of gestation who were referred with subjective sensation of IFM (April 2018–April 2019) for assessment. Pregnancy outcome was compared to pregnancies with a normal sensation of fetal movements all through pregnancy who underwent obstetrical assessment at term (37–41 weeks of gestation) matched by maternal age and pre-pregnancy BMI in a 1:2 ratio. Results: Overall, out of 28,028 women referred to the maternity ward during the study period, 153 (0.54%) presented due to subjective sensation of IFM. The latter mainly occurred during the 3rd trimester (89.5%). Primiparity was significantly more prevalent in the study group (75.5% vs. 51.5%, p =.002). The study group had increased rates of operative vaginal deliveries and cesarean section (CS) due to non-reassuring fetal heart rate (15.1% vs. 8.7%, p =.048). Multivariate regression analysis showed that IFM was not associated with NRFHR affecting the mode of delivery (OR 1.1, CI 0.55 − 2.19), opposed to other variables such as primiparity (OR 11.08, CI 3.21–38.28) and induction of labor (OR 2.46, CI 1.18–5.15). There were no differences in the rates of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, 5 min Apgar score, birth weight, or rates of large/small for gestational-age newborns. Conclusion: Subjective sensation of IFM is not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.