As a pregnancy approaches its end, the fundal height will become less accurate.

Most caregivers will record their patient's fundal height on every prenatal visit.

A lag in fundal height by 4 cm warrants ultrasonographic evaluation.

Detection usually begins with a routine doctor visit when the fundal height is being measured or during an ultrasound examination.

Measuring the fundal height can be an indicator of proper fetal growth and amniotic fluid development.

In fact, according to medical literature on the subject, measurements of "fundal height" are mostly used in clinics that don't have access to ultrasound.

The midwife does regular assessments for uterine contraction, fundal height, and vaginal bleeding.

Fundal height, measured from the top of the pubic bone, is routinely measured in pregnancy to determine growth rates.

The growth rate can be roughly correlated with the fundal height which can be estimated by abdominal palpation.

On every prenatal visit, the obstetrician/gynaecologist or midwife should measure the patient's fundal height with a tape measure.

Fundal height, or McDonald's rule, is a measure of the size of the uterus used to assess fetal growth and development during pregnancy.

It is important that the fundal height be measured and properly recorded to track proper fetal growth and the increasing development of amniotic fluid.

Fundal height, when expressed in centimeters, roughly corresponds to gestational age in weeks between 16 to 36 weeks for a vertex fetus.

• Measure fundal height from top of fundus to symphysis with tape measure and record (in centimetres [cm])

A related condition, IUGR, is generally diagnosed by measuring the mother's uterus, with the fundal height being less than it should be for that stage of the pregnancy.

The mother should have regular assessments for uterine contraction and fundal height, vaginal bleeding, heart rate and blood pressure, and temperature, for the first 24 hours after birth.

A basic prenatal visit consists of measurement of blood pressure, fundal height, weight and fetal heart rate, checking for symptoms of labor, and guidance for what to expect next.

In clinical practice, recording the actual fundal height measurement from the palpable top of the uterus to the superior edge of the pubic symphysis is standard practice beginning around 20 weeks gestation.

After the 20th week of pregnancy, the mother would need to visit the doctor for the measurement of fundal height, which is the length from the top portion of the uterus to the pubic bone.

To support his argument, he delivered a long disquisition on "fundal height" - the distance from the top of the mother's uterus to the top of the pubic bone - as a measure of gestational age.

• Fundal height unchanged or less than expected from previous visit Suspicion should be raised if fundal height does not exhibit the predicted 1 cm/week growth between 20 and 36 weeks of gestation.

This includes use of a growth chart to plot fundal height (the distance from the maternal pelvis to the top of the growing womb) and estimated fetal weight, both measures to estimate a baby's growth.