Fundal Heigth

Fundal height is a common medical term designating the measurement of the approximate size of the uterus.   It measures, in centimeters the distance from the top of the uterus to the public bone. The top of the uterus is where you can push down over it without pushing down directly on it. The area at the top of your uterus is called the fundus. In anatomy, the fundus is the base of any hollow organ or the part of that organ that is the farthest distance from its opening.

This measurement is utilized in assessing fetal growth and development. Beginning in the second trimester, fundal height should generally match closely to the number of weeks of your pregnancy.   For example, if you’re 26 weeks pregnant, your physician would expect your fundal height to measure approximately 26 centimeters.   This correlation is not always exact and a variation on either side of a few centimeters is not usually any cause for concern. At 26 weeks a fundal height measurement of 23 to 29 centimeters would be considered normal.

If you go to an obstetrician in private practice and are a regular patient, he or she will not always record the fundal height.   They may only make a notation that the fundal height is compatible with gestational age.   In large clinics, where a patient may see several different physicians during the course of her pregnancy, fundal height is an important measurement because it serves as an objective frame of reference among various doctors.

Larger Than Normal Fundal Size

If your physician discovers that the fundal height measurement is increasing more rapidly than expected or not as fast as normal, an ultrasound or other similar tests would most likely be ordered to determine what is causing the increased measurement.   According to the Mayo Clinic website, some reasons for a larger than normal fundal height or a measurement that increases faster than expected include:
A thicker than average uterus
A thicker than average abdominal wall
A full bladder...