FHR Full Form

The full meaning of FHR is Fetal Heart Rate. As the name states, FHR is the heart rate of a baby when it is inside of a womb. An FHR is like your first introduction to your baby. It is a life-changing experience for a mother as the little heartbeat can say a lot about the little arriving one. A healthy fetus's heart rate ranges from 110 to 160 beats in a minute. But sometimes the baby's heartbeat can also increase up to 170 bpm.

What is FHR?

FHR monitors and measures the heart rate of a baby in the womb. With the help of FHR, it is easier to care for the baby’s health until the due date. With the passing of each month or a number of weeks, your doctor will monitor your baby's heartbeat, for the whole duration of pregnancy.

What are the Methods of FHR?

External Fetal Heart Monitoring: This method includes a device to listen to the baby’s heartbeat over the mother’s belly. During the parental visit, this device is used to check the state of the fetal heartbeat. This device is also used during the labor process to make sure of the baby’s health.

Internal Fetal Heart Monitoring: FHR also has this method during labor time. In this process, a transducer is put on the fetus's scalp at the time of labor. With this method, the doctor will have a better reading because there is no irregular measurement due to a lack of movements. But this method is only applicable when the cervix is open, as the uterus gets connected to the monitor.

Are There Any Risks in FHR?

Fetal monitoring does not harm your baby, but it does have some side effects.

Your doctor will take all the precautions before inserting their hand, such as using gloves, etcetera. But sometimes, this step can also arise some risk factors like infection because of the bacteria present in the glove. That is why this method is not advisable for those who have a disease from the beginning.

During the internal FHR, the transducer is placed on the baby's scalp as gently as possible. Nevertheless, in some cases, the sensor might cause some injury to your baby, such as scratching and bruising. But these types of injuries heal quickly without complications.

Side Effects for the Mother

• A severe infection

• Wounds or tearing in the genital opening

• Heavy bleeding

• Problem during urination

• Bladder or urethra damages

• Loss of bladder control temporarily

These risks of FHR have happened in a very rare situation. So, there is no need to worry about it. As long as you follow your doctor, you’d be fine.