abnormal CTG and the indication for a primary ces­arean section ( curve shows an interval of three to five days and more (up to 50 days) in 50% of this population. In 85% of cases the interval was 24−48 hours, an interval that gives an obstetric attendant a relatively long time to prepare. In 15% of cases action was required on the same day. This is a frequent observation in perinatal centers, where high-risk patients arrive from outlying clinics at short notice. The longest time intervals, i. e., the earliest advance warning compared to the CTG, was obtained when Doppler ultrasound was intro­duced at the earliest possible moment, for example, at the first hint of an impending problem, or when the risk was suggested by history. In a literature review Schneider et al. (1989) give an average time interval of seven days. Laurin et al. (1987) and Jouppila et al. (1986), who managed a caseload similar to our own, agreed that the median interval was three days.