Measuring the Fundal Heightby Pattie Hughes | More from this Blogger 30 Dec 2007 01:25 PM At each prenatal visit, your doctor will take a measurement that is also known as the fundal height. This is the distance between the pubic bone and the top of the uterus. A steady increase in the fundal height at each prenatal visit is an indication that the baby is growing normally. The fundal height is used to estimate the size of the fetus. This is used to estimate the age of the baby. About mid pregnancy, the measurement of the fundal height corresponds to the number of weeks of the pregnancy. For example, at 28 weeks of pregnancy, the fundus should measure 28 centimeters. A deviation from the formula can be an indication of a growth problem with the baby. If the fundus is measuring larger than the stage of pregnancy, this can be an indication of a multiple pregnancy. Usually a second heartbeat can be detected with the doppler, but this has been known to be missed. An ultrasound will be done to confirm the presence of more than one fetus. If the measurement is lower than the stage of pregnancy, this can mean there is a problem with the baby's growth. This condition is known as intrauterine growth restriction. If your health care provider is concerned with fetal growth, an ultrasound will be scheduled to check the baby's size and condition. Simply measuring a centimeter or two shy of your pregnancy week does not mean that your baby is experiencing a growth problem. There can be other reasons for the discrepancy, such as a mistake in measuring or a small baby. However, when there is a larger difference or the height of the fundus doesn't increase from one visit to the next, this can mean there is a problem. The height of the fundus is only one indication of the health and proper growth of the baby. For this reason, other testing will be done to confirm the baby's health if there is a cause for concern. An ultrasound or biophysical profile is generally done to determine if there is a problem with the pregnancy. Related Articles: How is the Gender Determined by Ultrasound? Ultrasound: Your First Peek at Your New Baby Learn more about Pattie Hughes  Pattie Hughes is a freelance writer and mother of four young children. She and her husband have been married since 1992. Pattie holds a degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University. Relevantpregnancy tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Discuss this article
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