Aim

This study aimed to clarify the feasibility of a mobile cardiotocogram (CTG) device for self-monitoring fetal heart rate (FHR) in low-risk singleton pregnant women.

Methods

This study was conducted at six university hospitals and seven maternity clinics in Japan. Using a mobile cardiotocogram device (iCTG, Melody International Ltd., Kagawa, Japan), participants of more than 34 gestational weeks measured the FHR by themselves at least once a week until hospitalization for delivery. We evaluated the acquisition rate of evaluable FHR recordings and the frequency of abnormal FHR patterns according to the CTG classification system of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). The participants also underwent a questionnaire survey after delivery to evaluate their satisfaction level of self-monitoring FHR using the mobile CTG device.

Results

A total of 1278 FHR recordings from 101 women were analyzed. Among them, 1276 (99.8%) were readable for more than 10 min continuously, and the median percentage of the total readable period in each recording was 98.9% (range, 51.4–100). According to the JSOG classification system, 1245 (97.6%), 9 (0.7%), 18 (1.4%), and four (0.3%) FHR patterns were classified as levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The questionnaire survey revealed high participant satisfaction with FHR self-monitoring using the iCTG.

Conclusion

The mobile CTG device is a feasible tool for self-monitoring FHR, with a high participant satisfaction level.