Expert: Catherine Beier MS CBE - 4/2/2009

Question
I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant.I had my recent ultrasound which showed the gestational size of my baby is only 20 weeks + 3 days. My doctor said that we should have a Ultrasound again after 5 weeks to study the growth.Is there any lack of growth in my baby?I'm worried. Please clarify

Answer
Rehka,

It's too soon to be able to answer your question.

It's common for measurements to be off depending upon the skill of the technician and the quality of the equipment used as well as the baby's position and how active it is during the scan.

These factors can produce inaccurate results which make the baby look smaller than it is when no problems are present.

In some cases, babies are just smaller than average (remember, some babies are born at 5 pounds while others are 10 pounds or more).

In addition, these measurements can be off if your due date was incorrectly calculated or you ovulate late in your cycle or have cycles that are longer than average.

So, while the measurements were smaller than average, it doesn't necessarily mean that there is truly a problem.  The only way to know for certain is to continue taking measurements with additional scans to calculate the baby's growth rate.

The doctor is recommending the follow-up scan to compare measurements and look at the growth rate to get a better idea of your baby's pattern and how it's developing and to determine if there is truly a problem.

So, at this point, the best course of action is to ensure you eat a healthy diet and sustain a healthy pregnancy.  I know it's difficult not to worry, but stress isn't good for you or the baby.  You'll have to wait for the results of the second scan to know if the growth rate is within the average range.


Best,
Catherine