Estimation of birth weight by measuring the height of the uterus in the parturient women in the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoro Islands

This study aims at evaluating the measurement of fundal height in labor as a mean of estimating birth weight in singleton pregnancies. The delivery records of the 1983 Grande Comore Island, Indian Ocean, maternal health care centers were reviewed (n = 730). Weight and fundal height were found in 412 delivery records. The mean weight is 3,108 +/- 533 g. The linear correlation coefficient is 0.59 and the square of the correlation coefficient is 0.35. The best cut-off point of fundal height for the detection of a low birth weight newborn (less than 2,500 g) is 31 cm, which correspond to the 19th percentile. The linear regression model is not strong enough to predict birth weight. As a diagnostic test, fundal height can be usefull on an individual basis. For a mass screening utilisation, this procedure would have to be integrated to a complete program of maternal and child health care.