MONITORAGGIO DELLA GRAVIDANZA POST TERMINE

Post-term pregnancy by definition refers to a pregnancy extended beyond 42 weeks of gestation (or more than 294 days). It is a very common condi- tion (7-18% of all pregnancies) however the obstetric management is still controversial. Accurate pregnancy dating, a proper timing of labor induction and the choice of the most useful monitoring technique for antenatal surveillance are important factors to consider in post-term pregnancies. Both antenatal surveillance and labor induction, if rightfully applied, are strategies that could reduce the risk of adverse perinatal outcome related to gesta- tional age. It has been proved that pregnancies with growth restricted fetuses most benefit of elective induction at 41 weeks of gestation. Reviewing the recent literature on fetal wellness surveillance after the 41st week of gestation, none of the available techniques (non stress testing, amniotic fluid esti- mation, biophysical profile and Doppler velocimetry) have proved to be superior and it's common practice to start monitoring the fetal wellbeing after the 40th week of gestation in all pregnancies.