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Clinical Trial
. 2010 Sep;110(3):231-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.03.030.

Dating gestational age by last menstrual period, symphysis-fundal height, and ultrasound in urban Pakistan

Imtiaz Jehan  1 , Shahida Zaidi, Sameera Rizvi, Naushaba Mobeen, Elizabeth M McClure, Breda Munoz, Omrana Pasha, Linda L Wright, Robert L Goldenberg
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Dating gestational age by last menstrual period, symphysis-fundal height, and ultrasound in urban Pakistan

Imtiaz Jehan et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the accuracy of the reported date of the last menstrual period (LMP) with that of symphysis-fundal height (SFH) in the estimation of gestational age (GA), using an ultrasound (US) scan as reference.

Methods: Gestational age was concurrently assessed by the 3 methods in this prospective, population-based, pregnancy-outcome study conducted in Hyderabad, Pakistan, from June 18, 2003, through August 31, 2005, with 1128 women between 20 and 26 weeks of a singleton pregnancy.

Results: The mean GA was less by ultrasound than by SFH measurement or the reported LMP, and the mean differences with the US result were statistically significant (P<0.001 for both). At delivery, about 75% of the GA values estimated by SFH measurement were within 7 days and almost 91% were within 14 days of the estimation by ultrasound, compared with 65% and 82% for the GA estimated by the reported LMP. Moreover, using the US as reference, the SFH correctly classified 84% of the term, 68% of the preterm, and 86% of the post-term deliveries (weighted kappa=0.58) compared with the corresponding 79%, 61%, and 55% predicted by the reported LMP (weighted kappa=0.44).

Conclusion: The SFH measurement was found to be more accurate than the reported LMP as a tool to estimate GA and therefore date of delivery, but neither were as accurate as a US scan.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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