Abstract

Determination of gestational age and expected date of delivery are important for maternal and fetal well-being. Most commonly used method is last menstrual period (LMP). To overcome the limitations of the LMP, ultrasonographic parameters are used. Objective: To study the correlation of gestational age based on LMP with various ultrasonographic parameters among healthy pregnant women. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study was carried out among 285 healthy pregnant women. LMP was determined by asking the women their last menstrual period and also cross-checked from the available records. The ultrasonographic parameters like biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) and transverse cerebellar diameter (TCD) were studied. Results: Majority of the women belonged to the age of 18-24 years (49.5%). Majority (41.4%) were primi. BPD, AC and TCD were positively correlated with gestational age by LMP (p<0.05). FL and HC were also positively correlated with gestational age by LMP but their coefficient of determination was not significant (p>0.05). For all parameters, as gestational age increased, their values also increased. Scatter plots of TCD, BPD and AC showed that there is a linear relation with the gestational age by LMP. But, the scatter plot of the HC and FL had no linear relation between the gestational age by LMP. Conclusion: The biparietal diameter, transverse cerebellar diameter and abdominal circumference showed a strong linear relationship with the gestational age by LMP. The FL and AC had no linear relation with it.

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