Understanding Uterine Growth During Pregnancy: A 32-Week Concern

Question
I am 32 weeks pregnant and my uterus has always measured one week ahead since the beginning of pregnancy. This is normal for my pregnancies until recently. It is a single baby and to my knowledge nothing is wrong in the pregnancy. the only problems I have had are my legs feel like they fill up with air and are going to explode(very tight at times- not to be confused with cramps because there is no pain associated with the tightening in my legs and I have a lot of pain all over my uterus and cannot sleep well. This pain is only when I lay down on either side. I have not mentioned this to my Ob because I figure they are probably normal pregnancy aggravations.  Is it healthy or normal for a uterus to be a week ahead of baby and then drop to a week behind? At what point (weeks,months)in pregnancy is this normal and okay?
Could this indicate any problem?
Please help-concerned ..

Answer
You should never be worried about telling your OB anything at all. In obstetrics they want to keep both mom and baby healthy. They will not judge you or think your concerns are not validated.

There is not typically a concern when an expecting woman is either one week ahead or one week behind on measurements. The reason being is that ultrasounds can be off by one week in determining gestational age. They may be able to provide a fairly accurate due date, but cannot always know the exact gestational age.

Pain in the uterine area is very typical in pregnancy especially in the last trimester while the uterus is growing. If it is worrisome and the pain is fairly intense, I recommend letting your OB know as soon as possible. Uterine pain in pregnancy is tricky. While it is fairly common, it can also be an indicator of a menagerie of other issues. Most likely, without any other symptoms, it is just normal pregnancy related discomfort.

Cheryl Hetherington