Made to move: A review of measurement strategies to characterize heterogeneity in normal fetal movement

Abstract

Fetal movement is a crucial indicator of fetal well-being. Characteristics of fetal movement vary across gestation, posing challenges for researchers to determine the most suitable assessment of fetal movement for their study. We summarize the current measurement strategies used to assess fetal movement and conduct a comprehensive review of studies utilizing these methods. We critically evaluate various measurement approaches including subjective maternal perception, ultrasound, Doppler ultrasound, wearable technology, magnetocardiograms, and magnetic resonance imaging, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. We discuss the challenges of accurately capturing fetal movement, which is influenced by factors such as differences in recording times, gestational ages, sample sizes, environmental conditions, subjective perceptions, and characterization across studies. We also highlight the clinical implications of heterogeneity in fetal movement assessment for monitoring fetal behavior, predicting adverse outcomes, and improving maternal attachment to the fetus. Lastly, we propose potential areas of future research to overcome the current gaps and challenges in measuring and characterizing abnormal fetal movement. Our review contributes to the growing body of literature on fetal movement assessment and provides insights into the methodological considerations and potential applications for research.