Hello, everybody, welcome back to parently. Today we're talking about the biophysical profile BPP, when and who will be offered this and why the biophysical profile is a tool that we use to assess intrauterine fetal well being. Now, if you have a non stress test, and that non stress test is a is labeled nonreactive or you have a category two, non stress test, then at that point you may be offered from your healthcare provider, a biophysical profile. Now this can be done in the office or this can be done in the hospital. What is about physical profile, a biophysical profile looks at five different parameters using non stress testing is one. And then the other four parameters are things that we identify in In the sonogram, so you have to have a non stress test as part of your biophysical profile, that needs to be either a reactive non stress test or a non reactive.

Now the scoring of a biophysical profile is out of 10. And you're assigned based on these five parameters, a score of zero out of 10, two out of 10, four out of 10, six out of 10, eight out of 10, or 10 out of 10. Obviously, our goal for all babies is a 10 out of 10. Now, what did these five parameters indicate? And how do we go about determining that score? As I mentioned, if you have a reactive non stress test, you get two out of two for that parameter.

Now, if you have a nonreactive non stress test, then you have a zero out of two for that screen test. Now as we go to the, to the ultrasound or sonogram, there's four things We look at in the ultrasound, these are not in any specific order. So when you look at different sites, they may list them differently, I'm just going to give them to you as I perform them. Number one is the amniotic fluid volume. Now that means how much fluid is around the baby. And we measure that fluid and at least two different pockets.

So if you're having the ultrasound done in your abdomen, the cinematographer, whether that's your healthcare provider, or whether it's a sonogram tech, will measure the ultrasound on different parameters on your belly. Those two pockets when they measure two different places, should equal at least two or greater to get a biophysical profile score of two. So if that score of two or greater, whether it's two pockets or one linear pocket, that means up and down, is at least two centimeters. Remember two centimeters is about the size of one inch, then you get a score of two. The third item, the second item on the sonogram, but the third item in the biophysical profile looks at fetal movement. In the fetal movement, you should see at least three movements in 30 minutes.

That means any type of movement, whether it's the head, the shoulders, the arms or the legs, three movements or greater, you get a score of two out of two for that particular entity. Now, the next issue, or the next number is number four on the biophysical profile. The third on the sonogram evaluation is fetal tone. Now what does fetal tone mean? When we assess the baby's movement, and we take the arm and we take a look at the baby's arm and it's flexing and extending, or the hand is opening and closing Seeing at least one of those movements in 30 minutes, then we give that baby a score of two out of two. If we don't see flexion and extension or the hand open, then we give that baby is zero out of two.

The last item number five on the biophysical profile is fetal breathing movements. Now what is fetal breathing movement, just like you breathe, and you breathe air, the baby breeze in utero, but they breathe water. They're living in water, but they breathe just like you and I do. It's inhale, exhale. So we should see one rhythmic 32nd evaluation of the baby breathing in and out in and out over a 30 minute period of time. So we see fetal breathing movement, or we don't see a fetal breathing movement if we see fetal breathing, but we need to count for at least 30 seconds an out and out for a minimum of 30 seconds.

If that happens, then we give the baby a two out of two on the fetal breathing movements. Again, it's important that the CINAHL gruffer, wait at least 30 minutes to identify whether your baby has really movements that sometimes can be laid and can be frustrating. Sometimes it's an ographers, waiting for the fetal breathing movements to occur. So the biophysical profile is a marker that helps us establish whether your baby needs further testing or whether your baby needs to be delivered. I hope this gives you clarity. Please talk to your health care provider if you have further questions.