BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1659620
Investigating the Role of Maternal Heart Rate Variability in the Onset of Labour
Provisionally accepted
- 1Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 2The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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There are currently no measures to accurately predict the onset of labour at term. Currently, the onset of labour is anticipated based on the estimated due date (EDD), which is derived from the day of the last menstrual period or ultrasound-based anatomical information. However, the EDD is not intended to identify physiological factors which may result in the early onset of labour. Therefore, there is a need to identify potential biomarkers that are associated with the onset of labour to accurately predict the timing of delivery. In this exploratory study, we investigated the associations between maternal RR interval (mRRI), maternal heart rate variability (mHRV) features, and the onset of labour. A total of 37 participants were analysed, including 25 with Electrohysterogram (EHG)-derived signals (age: 28 ± 5.9 years; gestational age (GA): 34 ± 2.7 weeks) and 12 with non-invasive electrocardiogram (NIFECG)-derived signals (age: 32 ± 4.5 years; GA: 38 ± 1.5 weeks). The association of mHRV with the onset of labour was quantified by calculating correlations with time to delivery, defined as the difference between GA at recording and GA at delivery. Correlation analysis revealed that several standard mHRV indices showed strong associations (r > 0.5) with time to delivery.
Keywords: Heart rate variabilily, Labour onset, Electrocardiagram, Parasympathetic & Sympathetic reactivity, Electrohysterography
Received: 04 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Widatalla, Keenan, Palaniswami and Khandoker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Namareq Widatalla, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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