Anthropometric measurement of the developing fetus

Anthropometry is defined as the scientific study of the human body measurements and proportions. These studies are generally used by clinicians and pathologists for adequate assessments of the growth and development of the fetus at any specific point of gestational maturity. Fetal height, fetal weight, head circumference (HC), crown to rump length (CR), dermatological observations like skin thickness etc. are measured individually to assess the growth and development of the organs and the fetus as a whole and can be a parameter for normal or abnormal development also including adaptation of the fetus to its newer environment.

Another important factor that contributes towards the anthropometric measurement of the human fetal growth is the maternal nutrition and maternal well-being. Malnutrition, as already established by WHO, is a global serious health problem not only in adults but in pregnant and lactating mothers too and is a serious problem in third world countries. In Africa and South Asia, 27%-50% of women in the reproductive age are underweight resulting in 30 million low birth weight babies.

For decades, the topic of question pertaining to crown-rump length (CR), crown-heel length (CH), head circumference (HC) with respect to the body weight of human fetus at different time periods of gestation has baffled many developmental researchers and biostatisticians. These biological variations are all based on linear curves based on human fetuses between 9 and 28 weeks of gestation.