Moderate fetal bradycardia.

Fetal heart rates in the range of 100 to 119 beats per minute have been defined as moderate bradycardia. Twenty-five of 1,386 patients monitored during a 1 year period have manifested persistent moderate bradycardia. Moderate bradycardia is apparently related to fetal head compression, often in situations of relative cephalopelvic disproportion. It is alleviated by rotation of the vertex and does not appear to adversely affect the newborn infant.