ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the way fetal well-being is currently being assessed. It raises the question of fetal compensatory mechanisms under stress and questions the value of testing under basal conditions. The possible clinical value of using habituation to repeated vibroacoustic stimuli are outlined. It covers the history of habituation and its relationship to altered function of the central nervous system (eNS) as well as the different ways of measuring it. It outlines how factors such as gestational age, drugs, decreased 0 2 tension, and cigarette smoking affect habituation. It also examines the differences in habituation patterns seen in both high-risk fetuses and those with Down syndrome and their possible predictive value. The question of the safety of its use is also discussed. In this chapter the terms fetus and prenate are used interchangeably to try to emphasize the continuity between prenatal life and life after birth.
