Screening for the small-for-dates: a clinical and biochemical appraisal

To find an effective routine screening method for small-for-dates (SFD) infants 500 consecutive patients were recruited at one antenatal clinic. Weight gain during pregnancy, daily fetal movements counts (DFMC) and plasma schwangerschafts protein 1 (Sp1) levels were measured and their efficacy in identifying SFD infant compared. Mothers delivered of SFD infants had a significantly lower weekly weight gain (P less than 0.01) but no significant difference in either DFMC or plasma Sp 1 level. This study shows that epidemiological and clinical data which are inexpensive and easily available at the antenatal clinic are more valuable than more complicated and expensive assays in the prediction of SFD infants.