[Estimation of birth weight by measuring the height of the uterus in the parturient women in the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoro Islands].

This study aims at evaluating the measurement of fundal height in labor as a mean of estimating birth weight in singleton pregnancies. The delivery records of the 1983 Grande Comore Island, Indian Ocean, maternal health care centers were reviewed (n = 730). Weight and fundal height were found in 412 delivery records. The mean weight is 3,108 +/- 533 g. The linear correlation coefficient is 0.59 and the square of the correlation coefficient is 0.35. The best cut-off point of fundal height for the detection of a low birth weight newborn (less than 2,500 g) is 31 cm, which correspond to the 19th percentile. The linear regression model is not strong enough to predict birth weight. As a diagnostic test, fundal height can be usefull on an individual basis. For a mass screening utilisation, this procedure would have to be integrated to a complete program of maternal and child health care.