Fetal heart rate responses to maternal exercise

The fetal heart rate responses to mild, moderate, and strenuous maternal exercise were studied in 45 healthy subjects. In the majority of cases, the fetal heart rate increased during and after maternal exercise. Fetal bradycardia was recorded in five fetuses; this appears to be a sporadic event. There was no correlation between the individual fetal heart responses, gestational age, exercise intensity, and maternal circulating catecholamines.