Module 1 - GAP Theory
Module 2 - GAP Practice

2.2 Fundal height measurements: Introduction

  • Fundal height measurements are a primary surveillance tool to assess fetal growth during pregnancy. The procedure is acceptable to women and easy to perform in all care settings including the woman’s home. It is also non-invasive and inexpensive.
  • Historically, there has been insufficient emphasis on teaching and training a standardised method. As a result, a variety of different methods have been applied, including the use of anatomical landmarks, callipers, with or without midline correction of the upper uterine pole.
  • Not surprisingly, there was substantial intra-observer variation (by the same person at different times) as well as inter-observer variation (between different observers). For the same reason, the evidence on the effectiveness of fundal height assessment is varied and led to many several misconceptions.