To investigate the relationship between maternal hyperventilation and fetal blood gas values and to estimate its possible association with fetal oxygenation, maternal transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide (tcPCO2) values were analyzed in association with umbilical venous PCO2 (UVPCO2), umbilical venous partial pressure of oxygen (UVPO2), and umbilical venous oxyhemoglobin saturation (UVHbo2) values. Pregnant women without labor (30.7 ± 3.7 mm Hg, n = 20) showed significantly lower tcPCO2 values compared with nonpregnant women (37.4 ± 4.0 mm Hg, n = 10). Pregnant women in the second stage of labor showed even lower tcPCO2 values compared with pregnant women during the first stage of labor (20.8 ± 5.9 mm Hg vs 28.4 ± 5.0 mm Hg, n = 26). Maternal tcPCO2 values had significant positive correlations with UVPCO2 (r = .78, P < .001), UVPO2 (r = .62, P < .001), and UVHbO2 values (r = .59, P < .001). Maternal hyperventilation had a close relationship with lower UVPCO2, UVPO2, and UVHbo2 values, which might interfere with optimal fetal cerebral oxygenation.
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