This examination takes place towards the end of the third quarter, close to the date of delivery and is based on a scoring system of five different biophysical factors. There are four factors assessed by ultrasound examination:
- The amount of amniotic fluid
- The presence of respiratory movement
- The presence of fetal movement
- The presence of the fetal tone (extention or bending).
The fifth factor relates to cardiotocographic assessment of the fetus and whether it has evidence of fetal activity or not. These factors are evaluated and graded and depending on the result we make conclusions about the health of the fetus.