Pregnancy: Uterus is
My doctor did an internal exam at two months and said my uterus was as big as a cantaloupe. This is my first pregnancy and I don't get an ultrasound for another month. What are the main causes of a "big" uterus?
Question:Peg Plumbo CNM
Peg Plumbo has been a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) since 1976. She has assisted at over 1,000 births and currently teaches in the... Read more
The habit of comparing uterine sizes to different fruit is an old one, but it can be confusing and misleading. I've seen some very small and some very large cantaloupes. The main causes for a uterus that appears to be "large for dates" are inaccurate dates and multifetal gestation (twins).
A rather common cause for a uterus to be "large for dates" is inexperience of the care provider in estimating uterine size or perhaps the exam was done too quickly or through a full bladder. A second opinion or an exam in two weeks would help clarify this situation.
There are rare problems that can cause the uterus to grow too rapidly. One of these is a molar pregnancy which is an uncontrolled growth of tissue which originally was a product of conception but is no longer an embryo.
Any condition that favors enlargement of the uterus prior to pregnancy would also cause the uterus to be large for dates in pregnancy. Such conditions for example, would include benign tumors such as a fibroid growing within or on the uterus or an endometrioma. Rarely, another type of pelvic mass can be mistaken for an enlarged uterus, for example, a mass in the area next to the uterus or an ovarian mass.
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