small head of fetus

hi
  i am having a fetus of 37 weeks of body but doctor told me after ultrasound that fetus head size is as 33 weeks. Is this abnormalty. Whats your opnion.

[hannyhanny]

If this is your first scan, then it may be a problem with dates. If your dates have been quite well validated from a previous scan, then it appears your baby could have a slightly smaller head.

[Dragon1973]

Hi Shani197

I wouldn't worry too much if there aren't other anomalies in your baby's scans.  There is a term called microcephaly, which means the head size is proportionately smaller than the rest of the body.  Some times this is caused by genetic abnormalities, but does occur in the general population between 2-2 1/2% of the time.  It seems to be caused by a disturbance of rapid growing nerve cells in the brain.  This is sometimes congenital or chromosomal.  I wouldn't worry about this unless your doctor has actually defined the small size as this.  If it is microcephaly, there is a lot of information on this topic available for you to research.  The good news is, now most often children born with microcephaly have normal brain function, but some times depending on how great the microcephaly is, can cause some developmental delays.  I happen to know about microcephaly only because sometimes it is related to Down syndrome.  But you need not worry about this if you haven't had any other relative markers for Down syndrome.  And at 37 weeks along, there would have been other significant markers for Down syndrome, you would have been made aware of those probably before the differing head size.  My question to you would be, did your doctor review the findings with you as yet, and what did your doctor tell you about it?  Keep in mind also, that often times different technicians measure differently, and in one visit, I had 2 different measurements of my first son at around 37 weeks.  I had to ask for my regular tech to remeasure because I didn't believe the first set of measurements done by an inexperienced new tech.  Thank goodness I asked, because it would have made my son, extremely behind for his  gestational age!  So, hopefully you get another comparative scan before any decisions are made.
In addition to anything I have mentioned, please keep in mind, that while I or others may have extensive knowledge in many areas, you should always seek professional medical advice from your own physician, as it pertains to medical conditions or concerns.
Good luck, and if you have any other questions that I can help you with, please feel free to message me directly.

Sincerely,
Sandi (Dragon1973)
MedHelp Down syndrome Community Leader
& Ds Group Forum Founder/Moderator