Decreased abdominal circumference during late pregnancy

When women reach the late stages of pregnancy, many women will experience a decrease in abdominal circumference. This is actually a very common phenomenon. Most of the time, it is because the fetus begins to slowly enter the pelvis. This is a normal phenomenon, but it may also be caused by abnormal conditions of the fetus. If there is no discomfort during pregnancy, you can observe first. Once any abnormality occurs, you must seek treatment in time.

Why does the abdominal circumference decrease in late pregnancy?

It may become smaller because the baby turns around and enters the pelvis, or the mother may eat less in a day and her belly may also shrink. Generally, if the difference is not big, it is okay and the expectant mother can rest assured.

This is because in the late pregnancy, the baby begins to enter the pelvis, the head turns down, and the whole body moves downward, so you will feel that the abdominal circumference becomes smaller. The height of the pregnant mother's uterus and abdominal circumference are closely related to the size of the fetus. During the early and mid-pregnancy, there is a certain standard for monthly growth. It is necessary to know the length of each gestational week. In the later stages, by measuring the uterine height and abdominal circumference, the weight of the fetus can also be estimated. Therefore, during every prenatal check-up, the uterine height and abdominal circumference should be measured to estimate the intrauterine development of the fetus. At the same time, the uterine height pregnancy chart can be used to understand the intrauterine development of the fetus and whether it is developmentally delayed or macrosomia.

Measuring abdominal circumference growth and uterine fundus height can be used as one of the indicators for predicting fetal development. The abdominal circumference of the expectant mother is closely related to the size of the fetus. Measuring the abdominal circumference is mainly to understand the situation in the uterine cavity and whether the size of the uterus is consistent with the gestational age by measuring the length of the largest plane of the abdomen.

Increase in abdominal circumference

The average waist circumference increases by 0.8 cm per week. The fastest growth occurs during the 20th to 24th week of pregnancy; after the 34th week of pregnancy, the growth rate of abdominal circumference slows down. If the abdominal circumference measured at 16 weeks of pregnancy is taken as the base number, the average growth value is 21 cm by full term. When growth does not follow numerical values, it often causes worry and confusion for pregnant women. In fact, the growth of abdominal circumference is not exactly the same for each pregnant woman. This is because:

1. Before pregnancy, everyone's weight and waist circumference are different.

2. The increase in abdominal circumference after pregnancy is not only due to the enlargement of the fetus and uterus, but also due to factors related to the pregnant woman herself.

3. Some pregnant women have pregnancy reactions, do not eat well, and the increase in abdominal circumference in the early stages is not obvious. When the reaction disappears, appetite increases

4. Some pregnant women gain weight rapidly after pregnancy, which causes the subcutaneous fat in the abdomen to thicken quickly, and the waist and abdominal circumferences to grow faster. Some pregnant women have obvious water and sodium retention (possibly due to reduced glomerular filtration rate, increased sodium reabsorption by the renal tubules, and sodium ion retention outside the cells causing edema), which will cause a significant increase in abdominal circumference.

5. Some pregnant women have obvious water and sodium retention, which will cause a significant increase in abdominal circumference.

Therefore, measuring the growth of the uterus and fetus solely by the growth of abdominal circumference is limited and one-sided, and should be combined with other examinations for comprehensive analysis.