What continuous fetal monitoring does, and what it does not do
It prevents seizures. It does not prevent cerebral palsy. It raises your cesarean risk.
Continuous monitoring is used in almost every American labor. Across 13 trials and more than 37,000 women it roughly halved newborn seizures, showed no effect on cerebral palsy or death, and increased cesarean delivery by 63%. That last line is why it appears in a cesarean consent tool at all: the monitor is one of the largest single drivers of unplanned cesarean.
Where this comes from:
179. Alfirevic Z, Devane D, Gyte GML, Cuthbert A. Continuous cardiotocography (CTG) as a form of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) for fetal assessment during labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;(2):CD006066.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.