FETAL

FETAL GROWTH

Fetal Growth Scan

Monitoring the growth of your fetus throughout the pregnancy is an important milestone. Usually, growth is assessed on routine scans such as the anatomy scan. However, sometimes, growth is assessed on independent scans if there are reasons to suspect growth may not be quite normal.

Fetal growth is assessed by measuring fetal head (biparietal diameter and head circumference: BPD, HC), abdomen (abdominal circumference: AC) and femur (femur length:FL). The HC, AC, and FL measurements are then used to calculate the estimated fetal weight (EFW).

The amount of amniotic fluid, placental position and appearance will also be assessed.

It is usually performed at 32-34 weeks but it can be done earlier or later, depending on the clinical concerns.