Small for gestational age (SGA)
Key points
- The term "small for gestational age", or SGA, means a fetus or infant is smaller in size than is expected for the baby's gender, genetic heritage, and gestational age.
- Information gained from ultrasound is the diagnostic standard used to identify intrauterine growth restriction.
- Birth weight below the population 10th percentile, corrected for gestational age, is the most widely used definition of SGA.
- Neonatal growth restriction is recognized as a syndrome that includes small size and specific metabolic abnormalities.
Alternative names
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR); Low birth weight
Definition
The term "small for gestational age", or SGA, means a fetus or infant is smaller in size than is expected for the baby's gender, genetic heritage, and gestational age.
Information
Information gained from ultrasound is the diagnostic standard used to identify intrauterine growth restriction. Birth weight below the population 10th percentile, corrected for gestational age, is the most widely used definition of SGA.
Neonatal growth restriction is recognized as a syndrome that includes small size and specific metabolic abnormalities. These abnormalities include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level), hypothermia (low body temperature), and polycythemia (increased level of red blood cells).
Written and revised by
Andrey Nailor, M.D.
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