Fundal height in normal pregnant Nigerian women: anthropometric gravidogram.

Fundal height measurements in centimeters (FH) have always been an objective method of evaluating fetal growth in pregnancy. The popular Mcdonald's rule refers mainly to caucasions unfortunately. Since FH may actually vary in an anthropological sense it was considered necessary to apply Mcdonald's rule to African subjects. Pregnant Nigerian women were studied to observe how their fundal height values compared with those obtained for caucasian women in western communities. A gravidogram was derived for the 10th, 50th and 90th centiles. Values outside the range of 10-90th centiles are to be used for the prediction of small-for-dates and large-for-dates babies accordingly. Prediction formulae for the various centiles derived from regression analysis were obtained and their usefulness in clinical anthropological practice using fundal height measurement highlighted. A simple universal formula for African subjects is presented. Normal values of pregnant women for somatotype, height, and abdominal girth are also presented. The result of this survey demonstrates a significant difference in fundal height values of African women from those of the hitherto utilized standards derived from the study of caucasian women, especially in early pregnancy. This report suggests an early intra-uterine growth retardation in the African pregnancies which is corrected in the third trimester.