Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during pregnancy is common and can negatively affect fetal outcomes. However, studies on the immediate effects of maternal hypoxia on fetal heart rate (FHR) changes are lacking. Methods: We used time-synchronized polysomnography (PSG) and cardiotocography (CTG) data from two cohorts to analyze the correlation between maternal hypoxia and FHR changes (accelerations or decelerations). Maternal hypoxic event characteristics were analyzed using generalized linear modeling (GLM) to assess their associations with different FHR changes. Results: A total of 118 pregnant women participated. FHR changes were significantly associated with maternal hypoxia, primarily characterized by accelerations. A longer hypoxic duration correlated with more significant FHR accelerations (P < 0.05), while prolonged hypoxia and greater SpO2 drop were linked to FHR decelerations (P < 0.05). Both cohorts showed a transient increase in FHR during maternal hypoxia, which returned to baseline after the event resolved. Conclusion: Maternal hypoxia significantly affects FHR, suggesting that maternal OSAS may contribute to fetal hypoxia. These findings highlight the importance of maternal-fetal interactions and provide insights for future interventions.
@article{arxiv.2504.13010,
title = {Simultaneous Polysomnography and Cardiotocography Reveal Temporal Correlation Between Maternal Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Fetal Hypoxia},
author = {Jingyu Wang and Donglin Xie and Jingying Ma and Yunliang Sun and Linyan Zhang and Rui Bai and Zelin Tu and Liyue Xu and Jun Wei and Jingjing Yang and Yanan Liu and Huijie Yi and Bing Zhou and Long Zhao and Xueli Zhang and Mengling Feng and Xiaosong Dong and Guoli Liu and Fang Han and Shenda Hong},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.13010},
year = {2025}
}