Centile charts of cervical length between 18 and 32 weeks of gestation

To establish a centile chart of cervical length between 18 and 32 weeks of gestation in a low-risk population of women.

A prospective longitudinal cohort study of women with a low risk, singleton pregnancy using public healthcare facilities in Cape Town, South Africa. Transvaginal measurement of cervical length was performed between 16 and 32 weeks of gestation and used to construct centile charts. The distribution of cervical length was determined for gestational ages and was used to establish estimates of longitudinal percentiles. Centile charts were constructed for nulliparous and multiparous women together and separately.

Centile estimation was based on data from 344 women. Percentiles showed progressive cervical shortening with increasing gestational age. Averaged over the entire follow-up period, mean cervical length was 1.5 mm shorter in nulliparous women compared with multiparous women (95% CI, 0.4-2.6).

Establishment of longitudinal reference values of cervical length in a low-risk population will contribute toward a better understanding of cervical length in women at risk for preterm labor.