Electrohysterographic signals processing for uterine activity detection and characterization

At present, the most widespread methods of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine contractions activity (UA) monitoring during pregnancy and labor are ultrasound and external tocography. These mechanical methods, however, have low accuracy and sensibility. Clinical practice requires more precise methods. Abdominal Electrocardiography (AECG) and Electrohysterography (EHG) can provide a safe, easy, and noninvasive way to monitor the FHR and uterine contractions during pregnancy. In this paper we considered signal processing method and developed three algorithms for extraction of uterine activity signal from multichannel abdominal signal.