Abstract: According to one aspect, the invention concerns a method for measuring motion of a fetus or of a region of a fetus within an uterus in a time sequence of images, each image including said fetus or region thereof and at least a portion of the uterus, the uterus comprising a lumen, the method comprising, for one or more images in the sequence (a) determining a first parameter indicative of movement of the fetus or region thereof; (b) determining a second parameter indicative of movement of at least a portion of the uterus; and (c).

Abstract: Fetal diagnostic apparatus (10) which comprises ultrasonic imaging apparatus (12) for producing ultrasonic images, (14) the images comprises a multiplicity of pixels (16); an ultrasonic transducer (18) that can be placed upon a patient, in data communication with the ultrasonic imaging apparatus (12); and a processor (22) in data communication with the ultrasonic imaging apparatus that measures changes in the pixels (16) with respect to time.