ABSTRACT
The development of fetal motor behavior in early pregnancy reflects the development of the fetal nervous system and is therefore of great interest to physiologists. Most of the early observations of fetal activity were made on exteriorized previable human fetuses or on animal fetuses since the human fetus in utero was quite inaccessible for objective examination. The majority of pregnant women begin to sense fetal limb and body movements by midpregnancy. The awareness of the fetus moving in her womb has been regarded as one of the first objective signs of developing pregnancy. Recording fetal activity may serve as an indirect means of evaluating CNS function and integrity, since the coordination of whole body motion requires complex neurologic control. Different methods have been applied to assess, quantitate, and explain the dynamics and physiological basis of fetal movements throughout pregnancy. The introduction of ultrasound techniques has been a giant step forward in achieving this goal.
