gestational age

According to researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at Peking
University Third Hospital, serum procalcitonin levels reach peak levels
and decline to normal levels within 96 hours of birth for most infants,
including premature infants.

The term large for gestational age (LGA) can be confusing and scary, for some women. The fundal height measurement is typically used once a pregnant woman
starts showing. It is the measurement from the pubic bone to the top of
the uterus.

Fine-tuning medical tests to better serve doctors in terms of diagnostic
care was the subject of a study completed be researchers from the
Department of Pediatrics at various hospitals and clinics associated
with the University of Iowa.

Small for gestational age is a medical term used to describe the weight
and gestational age of an infant. Just because an infant is small for
gestational age doesn’t mean extra care is needed or that the infant
will have long-term medical issues.

When parents give birth to a small for gestational age (SGA)  infant it can be a
scary experience. That tiny little bundle of joy may need additional
care in the hospital before being released and some of that care may
extend months or years into the future, but extra care is not always
needed.

Low birth weight is defined as an infant weighing less than 2,500 grams
or about 5.5 pounds. Low birth weight infants can be born at any time
during gestation so not all cases involve premature delivery.

A large for gestational age infant is born weighing more than 90% of all
other infants born at the same gestational age. For instance, if an
infant is born at 37 weeks weighing in excess of 10 pounds, that infant
is termed large for gestational age.

In March of 2006, Scotland passed legislation that banned smoking in
public settings. The legislation did not focus on pregnant women, but
the ban has proven to be quite helpful in terms of reducing the number
of preterm deliveries in the country.

Doctors use various methods to determine gestational age of a pregnancy.
The most common test is the ultrasound, which measures the size of the
gestational sac and the length between crown and rump to determine the
age of the fetus in weeks.

Obstetricians are constantly looking for better ways to diagnose Down syndrome. Currently, women with high risk factors associated with Down syndrome are urged to undergo amniocentesis.

As of September 1, 2011, Oregon will no longer allow doctors to plan delivery before 39 weeks gestation.

The conception calculator can be used to estimate the date of pregnancy conception. Conception calculators use the first day of the previous menstrual cycle to estimate the date of conception.

While pregnancy may seem like a simple term, there are different types of pregnancies. Most are a result of physical differences between women, but some are related to multiple egg release, among other reasons.

The gestational age of the pregnancy, how far the pregnancy is along, can be determined accurately early in pregnancy by ultrasound measurements of the gestational sac diameter or the length of the fetal pole (CRL) in order to determine gestational age.