Threshold Electric Skin Sensitivity Fluctuations in Pregnancy, Labor, and Puerperium

Hypothesis: In our clinical study, the stages of pregnancy were independent variables, and the measured change of sensitivity in selected skin areas was the dependent variable. The research hypothesis that the threshold electric skin sensitivity (TESS) fluctuates was based on our previously published research, where the null hypothesis was rejected in similar conditions. Methods: TESS was measured repeatedly in short intervals on the abdomen and right forearm of pregnant and not pregnant women. Results: A statistically very significant change of TESS fluctuation was found between not pregnant and pregnant women in different stages of pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. In the midline above the navel, the TESS fluctuates with similar frequency like intestinal peristalsis and that may reflect on the functional state of the bowels. In both lateral areas of the lower abdomen in not pregnant women and in early pregnancy, we found only minimal TESS fluctuations. They gradually increased until the beginning of labor and then decreased postpartum. In midline above the pubic symphysis, moderate TESS fluctuation in not pregnant women gradually increased during pregnancy, until the beginning of labor and decreased postpartum. TESS fluctuation during labor was not synchronous with recorded uterine contractions. Only minimal TESS fluctuation on the right forearm never changed significantly. Conclusion: TESS fluctuation in midline abdomen may be related to bowel peristaltic motility. In the lateral abdomen and above symphysis, it may be related to uterus activity. TESS measurement in referral pain skin area could be used for functional monitoring of internal organ in the corresponding viscerotome. The measurement of TESS in skin areas and recording fluctuations graphically as an electrosensitogram, could have diagnostic value. As a new noninvasive diagnostic method, electrosensitography could help us better understand the gastrointestinal organ function.