Results of fetal health assessment tests in pregnancies with borderline and normal amniotic fluid index: A case-control study

There is currently insufficient evidence to support routine fetal surveillance or early delivery decisions in cases of borderline Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI). This study aimed to compare the results of fetal health assessment tests in pregnancies with borderline and normal AFI. This case-control study was conducted on 300 pregnant women (150 with normal AFI and 150 with borderline AFI) at the 29 Bahman Hospital in Tabriz-Iran. Due to the small number of mothers with borderline AFI, all pregnant mothers with borderline AFI were recruited (census sampling). For the control group, mothers with normal AFI were selected using matched sampling based on age, parity, and gestational age to correspond to the borderline group. The data were collected using a four-part researcher-made questionnaire. A significant difference was observed in the reduction of maternal perception of fetal movements between the two groups (p = 0.0001), with 35 (23.3 %) women in the normal AFI group and 46 (30.7 %) women in the borderline AFI group reporting reduced movements. The groups had no significant differences regarding Non-Stress Test (NST) (p = 0.324) and Biophysical Profile (BPP) (p = 0.442) results. In women with borderline AFI, maternal perception of decreased fetal movement was 7 times more likely than in women with a normal AFI (OR = 7.43; 95 %CI: 4.4 to 12.4; p = 0.0001). The results of fetal health assessment tests in women with borderline AFI were similar to those with normal AFI. Therefore, clinical management of borderline AFI cases may be approached similarly to those with normal AFI.