At 8 weeks of gestation, the uterus looks like?

Appeared in: AIIMS Raipur - 2017 (shift-2)

Explanation

At 8 weeks of gestation, the uterus, under the influence of pregnancy hormones, enlarges from its non-pregnant state.
It becomes more globular in shape and increases in size to be comparable to a large orange.
This size is typically assessed by a healthcare provider during a bimanual pelvic examination to confirm gestational age.
The growth is due to both hypertrophy (increase in cell size) and hyperplasia (increase in cell number) of the myometrial cells.

Option A: This describes the size and shape of the non-pregnant uterus.
Option C: This size is more analogous to the embryo or fetus at this stage, not the entire uterus.
Option D: The uterus does not reach this size until approximately 12 weeks of gestation.

Visual 1: Infographic - A diagram showing the uterus at different stages of early pregnancy (non-pregnant, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks) with corresponding fruit/object analogies (pear, egg, orange, grapefruit) to illustrate the size progression.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Assessment of uterine size changes during early pregnancy as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Assessing uterine size in the first trimester is a fundamental clinical skill to estimate gestational age and monitor pregnancy progression.
A discrepancy between uterine size and expected gestational age can be an early indicator of potential issues such as incorrect dating, multiple gestation, molar pregnancy, or uterine fibroids.
What if? If at 8 weeks the uterus was found to be the size of a cricket ball (12-week size), the nurse or doctor would investigate for potential causes like a multiple pregnancy, inaccurate last menstrual period (LMP), or a molar pregnancy.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question that tests knowledge of physiological changes during pregnancy.
Identify the key information required: the size of the uterus at a specific gestational age (8 weeks).
Recall the common analogies used in obstetrics to describe uterine size progression in the first trimester.
Compare the given options to the known milestones: non-pregnant (pear), 6 weeks (egg), 8 weeks (orange), 12 weeks (grapefruit/cricket ball).
Select the option that correctly matches the 8-week milestone.
Eliminate other options by identifying the gestational age or context to which they correctly apply.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Assessment of uterine size changes during early pregnancy.
Stem keywords: 8 weeks, gestation, uterus, size
Lead-in keywords: looks like
Clinical cues: 8 weeks of gestation is a key milestone in the first trimester where uterine size is assessed via bimanual examination.

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Practise the full AIIMS Raipur - 2017 (shift-2)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.