The height of the uterine fundus by week is the most important indicator that can tell a lot about the development of pregnancy.
Based on this indicator, it is possible to determine when the egg and sperm met, that is, when the conception took place. If the size of the uterus and the height of its bottom (the bottom is called the upper part of the organ) do not correspond to the period, this may indicate various kinds of pathologies, for example, a delay in the development of the fetus.
For example, if this figure increases slowly, the doctor may conclude that in this case there is placental insufficiency. If the uterus grows rapidly, this may indicate a multiple pregnancy or the development of polyhydramnios.
A centimeter per week
The height of the uterine fundus by week is determined by the gynecologist at each appointment. When the pregnancy is not yet so noticeable, the doctor examines your abdomen with your fingers, then uses a pelvisometer or a flexible measuring tape to measure. We can say that every week the uterus grows by about one centimeter. And if at four weeks of pregnancy the size of this important organ does not exceed a large egg, then by forty weeks it reaches the volume of a very largewatermelon.
With the onset of three months of an interesting position, the bottom of the uterus peeks out from behind the edge of the pubic bone - its growth is about 14 cm. At the 19th week, it reaches sizes from 16 to 24 cm. By the middle of the term (20 weeks) the bottom of the uterus by weeks is calculated based on the gestational age, that is, the number of weeks from this moment equals the growth of the uterus in cm. Simply put, at the 22nd week this parameter is 22 cm, at the 23rd week it is already 23.
Above the navel
There will come a time when you yourself can easily determine what the height of the bottom of the uterus has become. 30 weeks is the time when you can do it without problems. By this time, by the way, its height is from 29 to 31 cm, if we take the pubic symphysis as the initial level. If we take the umbilical cavity as the starting point, then the uterus rises above the navel by about 5 cm.
Please note that the physique and individual characteristics of a woman have a serious impact on this indicator, because it can be very different for two pregnant women at the same time. When the middle of pregnancy passes, the organ in almost everyone reaches the level of the navel - at this point, about 26 cm is the height of the fundus of the uterus. 28 weeks - the period when this happens, or the uterus by this time exceeds the level of the navel by two centimeters.
37 weeks: uterus no longer grows
The height of the uterine fundus by week is a parameter that changes up to the 37th week of pregnancy. After this period comes, the stomach, as a rule, does not grow. By this period, the bottom of the uterus reachesto the chest, rising above the pubis by 36-40 cm.
If you are expecting twins, then the belly reaches this maximum much earlier, and then begins to actively grow in breadth. Toward the end of pregnancy, it may even drop a few centimeters, because your baby is preparing for birth, pressing his head against the pelvic floor - this is one of the harbingers of labor.
