The Importance of Gestation-Adjusted Birthweight Centile in Assessment of Fetal Growth in Metabolic Conditions

ICP is associated with delivery at an earlier gestational age (2), and this is reported in all of the cited manuscripts contributing to this meta-analysis (3,4,5,6,7). Using the data presented in Table 2 from the manuscript, the mean difference in gestational week of birth for the combined patient cohort of these 5 studies is 1.3 weeks (ICP 37.6±1.9, control 38.9±1.6) (1). The authors report a mean difference in birthweight of 175 g (95% confidence interval 48-301) between ICP and control babies. Between 36 and 40 weeks’ gestation, the average weekly increase in birthweight typically exceeds this figuret (8), as shown by the Canadian population data which indicates that for female fetuses the average weekly weight gain is 183 g, whilst for male fetuses the weekly weight gain is 195.75 g.