What type of decelerations occurs with less than 50% of uterine contractions within a 20-minute period?

The correct response indicates that intermittent decelerations occur when decelerations are seen with less than 50% of uterine contractions in a given timeframe. In fetal monitoring, decelerations are categorized based on their patterns and frequency in relation to contractions.

Intermittent decelerations signify that there are sporadic instances where the fetal heart rate decreases but do not consistently accompany every contraction. This suggests a less concerning pattern from a fetal wellbeing perspective, as the presence of decelerations is not ongoing or consistently related to uterine activity.

In contrast, recurrent decelerations, which are not the correct answer, would indicate that the decelerations are happening with more than 50% of contractions, suggesting a more concerning scenario with potential fetal distress. Prolonged decelerations involve a decrease lasting longer than two minutes but do not directly relate to occurrence frequency with contractions. Variable decelerations may occur sporadically and can be associated with umbilical cord compression but also do not define the situation where less than 50% of contractions are involved.

Thus, the identification of intermittent decelerations is crucial for monitoring fetal health, as they suggest a non-persistent and likely less critical issue during labor.