One day for every mother-to-be comes that very special day. She learns about her new condition. And soon the woman will often hear the question: "What is your (your) term?" How to calculate the gestational age in order to answer correctly?
It's pretty simple!
Almost always, the answer to the question about the gestational age will be based on two of the most famous and popular calculation methods - obstetric and embryonic (from conception) terms
Obstetric term
The onset of pregnancy is the first day of your last period. This method is called obstetric. It does not take into account the individual characteristics of a woman's body, but it is almost universal. Any doctor will use it.
The obstetric method has its own logic. The term is calculated from the earliest stage of pregnancy - the beginning of the maturation of the egg.
According to the obstetric method, the doctor will determine the expected date of birth (PDD), as well as the period of maternity leave. In medicine, it is generally accepted that pregnancy lasts 280 days. This is the well-known 40 weeks or 10 lunar months.
Why 10 months and not 9? And why are the months lunar? Astronomy is to blame for this. The moon repeats its phases at intervals of 28 days (4 weeks). This is the lunar month. And if you count in calendar months, then only 9 of them really fit into a normal pregnancy.
Embryonic (true) term - from conception
The beginning of pregnancy is the first day of the last menstrual period plus 2 weeks. It is believed that ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle. In this case, the period from one period to another is taken as an average - 28 days.
This method of calculating the term is called embryonic or true. But it is worth pondering: is the truth hiding somewhere else? Medically speaking, ovulation can occur within 12-18 days from the start of the cycle.
Example. From early spring to late autumn, Oksana's husband constantly went on business trips. Sometimes I was at home only one or two days a month. Soon after her husband's next visit, Oksana realized that she was pregnant. And with a smile I thought that she knew the exact date of conception - June 2. After all, before and after that day, she and her husband did not see each other for almost two weeks. Oksana's last monthly period was May 18-21. And if we consider May 22 as the beginning of the cycle, then conception took place on the twelfth day. And the egg was already ripe. Or not?
Another question is important here - how long does ovulation last? If strictly in science, then a few seconds. After all, ovulation is only the release of a mature egg from the follicle. But most of us consider ovulation and the next few (or even many) hours that the egg cell will live in the female body. How many? Sometimes up to two days. By the way, about the same amount will live in the female body and sperm after intercourse. And sometimes even longer - up to a week.
So the true day of conception is a real mystery! After all, there may well be two different situations. The ovum moves to the uterus for the second day and literally at the end of its life is fertilized. Or vice versa. The sperm cells entered the woman's body before ovulation and actually "waited" for the release of the egg.
Couples who carefully planned pregnancy know the day of conception as accurately as possible. In this case, the day of ovulation is determined using a special test (sold in a pharmacy) or by ultrasound.
There is another old method for determining ovulation. This is a measurement of basal temperature. It is carried out in the morning, at the same time, before getting out of bed (even it is recommended not to open your eyes). The thermometer is placed in the mouth, vagina, or rectum. Before ovulation, the basal temperature drops slightly and then rises. This means the release of a mature egg.
And sometimes women themselves feel that ovulation has come. The lower abdomen aches, the vaginal discharge becomes a little more viscous. And the attraction to the beloved man becomes stronger.
That is why many expectant mothers consider their gestation period to be the embryonic method: the beginning of the cycle plus 2 weeks or the day of ovulation known to them. In this case, we are talking about the period from conception.
Can there be difficulties?
Lyudmila's periods often came literally "every other time." Doctor's verdict - ovarian dysfunction. Until Luda was sexually active, she was not too worried. But after marriage, the same question often came. Is delay a manifestation of dysfunction? Or contraception didn't work? Once the second option turned out to be correct. But doctors could not calculate the term using the usual method - there was an obvious discrepancy.
Former athlete Valeria had her first period only at the age of 16. And the cycle was not established in any way. Up to six months could pass between critical days. The girl did not go to the doctor. I somehow did not find time - either study, then personal life. Once thin Valeria noticed that she had clearly recovered. The first reaction is the desire to go on a strict diet and remember the previous sports activities. It's good that the girl first consulted with her mother. More precisely, with the future grandmother of her child.
Lena's first child has just turned ten months old. The baby grew up healthy, and the nursing mother, on the occasion of such a round date, decided to eat a melon. A few hours after that, she felt sick. Lena thought she was poisoned. But soon the doctors clarified the situation: Lena was pregnant again. The first menstruation after childbirth simply did not have time to start.
How many more similar cases! If a woman's periods are irregular or did not have time to come at all, as in the situation with Lena, traditional calculations will not help. It is good that there are alternative methods.
How else to determine the term?
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- based on a gynecological examination;
- using ultrasound;
- by the first movement of the fetus;
- by the size of the uterus.
In some cases, the doctor "looks after" all the signs in order to make less mistakes in calculating the term.
Gynecological examination
An experienced gynecologist will be able to calculate the correct time only by the size of the uterus. The doctor's hands will accurately define the boundaries of the uterine cavity. If the uterus is comparable in size to a hen's egg, the period is 4 weeks. And if closer to the goose, then we are talking about eight weeks.
This method works effectively if you are less than 12 weeks pregnant.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound scanning today allows you to effectively examine the fetus and even make some measurements. In the first trimester, the doctor will determine the size of the ovum and compare them with traditional data. In the second and third, the doctor will measure the circumference of the chest, tummy or head. The last "yardstick" is considered the most accurate for determining the term.
In the first weeks of pregnancy, calculating the term in this way gives a very accurate result. Later, future babies begin to be very different: some are larger, some are smaller. Just like in the life that awaits them in the future.
The kid is pushing!
The first fetal movement is another indicator. If a woman is preparing to give birth to her first child, she will feel his movements at 20 weeks. If the baby is the second, third, and so on, then the first movement is expected at 18 weeks. This is the official medical data. And future babies do not at all believe that they must follow them!
The fetus really makes its first movements in the first trimester of pregnancy. But the unborn child is still so tiny that the mother does not feel anything for many weeks. But there are also exceptions.
Inna was expecting her second child. And so I was thin, and in the first weeks I lost weight. With a height of 167 cm - 46 kg. And this is in the second trimester! The doctor shook her head disapprovingly and worried. And Inna felt great. Nausea almost did not torment, vomiting was rare. True, I always wanted oranges, and one red-haired "handsome man" was always in the bag. And in general there were no problems.
The baby pushed on the seventeenth week. First, once, and after a couple of hours - again. And the next day, and the next day, the woman experienced the same sensations. At the next appointment with the gynecologist, Inna called the date. The doctor shook her head for the umpteenth time, smiled and asked - maybe it was gases? Inna laughed - she perfectly remembered the baby's movements from the first pregnancy and could not be mistaken for sure.
True, sometimes you can still get confused. If the expectant mother regularly suffers from flatulence, and even is expecting a baby for the first time, the movement of gas through the intestines is sometimes taken by her for the movements of the baby.
When weeks are equal to centimeters
And one more way, which is related to the size of the uterus. More precisely, with its height. This method is available only to doctors. The pregnant woman lies down on the couch. The doctor takes a measuring tape or a special instrument - a pelvis meter. Determines the upper and lower boundaries of the uterine cavity and takes measurements.
The height of the uterus in centimeters is the gestational age. That is, if the doctor measures 30 cm, then the gestational age is 30 weeks.
These four methods (usually in combination with each other) give the most accurate determination of the gestational age.
When will she be born?
The expected due date will tell the mother when the baby will be born. But this is theory. Children very rarely follow the doctors' calculations. True, there are exceptions here.
On ultrasound at 12 weeks, Lika was called PDR - March 10. Lika just shrugged her shoulders slightly. She carried her first baby exactly one week. The doctors then said that the baby probably wants to grow up even more. Indeed, even after being born, the son weighed only 2 kg 700 g at birth.
Therefore, in the early morning of March 10, Lika did not even immediately realize that contractions had begun, and stubbornly tried to sleep a little more. But it didn't work out. It soon became clear - it began. That's how the daughter was born - exactly on time.
Formula Negele:
Quite accurately, the expectant mother can calculate the PDD herself. Of course, if the periods before conception were regular.
- It is necessary to add another seven days to the first day of the last menstruation, and then subtract three months.
- Or add 9 months and 7 days to the first day of your last menstrual period.
Here is the approximate date of birth of the future baby!
You can find out the PDR using a special pregnancy calendar for the last menstruation. In the red line, we are looking for the date of the beginning of the last menstruation, next to it, in the yellow line, we see the date of the probable day of birth.
For example, the last period started on January 28th. Plus seven days is February 4th. Minus three months - we get November 4th. And how it will actually be - life will show.
The main thing is that the pregnancy is easy at any time.
Note to moms!
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The long-awaited pregnancy has come, and you really want to know when will you see your baby? To calculate the gestational age and the expected day of birth, you only need to know one date: the day the last menstrual period started. It is according to her that the gynecologist will calculate the gestational age, when you come to the clinic to register.
Calculate pregnancy term online
Only a few women can accurately name the date of conception of a child in order to accurately calculate the real term of pregnancy. And even in this case, the birth of a new life may occur on another day, when the future parents do not know about it. At the same time, almost every woman remembers the date of the last menstruation, which is why it is her obstetricians who take as a starting point. Theoretically, ovulation - the period when the egg is ready for fertilization - occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Therefore, there is a difference of about two weeks between the actual age of the fetus and the obstetric gestational age (which begins on the first day of the last menstruation).
So, in order to calculate your pregnancy period online, you need to remember when your last period began. Two weeks are added to this day: it is during this period that the egg fully matures - and fertilization can occur. Further, you can calculate the estimated date of birth in two ways: the first is when forty weeks are added to the date of the first day of the last menstruation. The second - from the day when conception could occur, three months are subtracted and seven days are added to it.
But if you don't like messing around with calculations, an interactive pregnancy calculator will do it for you. Enter your details (the date of the first day of the last menstrual period) - and within a second you will receive the result of pregnancy in weeks and days.
Calculate pregnancy by date of conception
This calculator can also be used to calculate the gestational age by the day of conception if you are confident in the accuracy of this date. In this case, you will find out the actual (gestational) gestational age, which will correspond to the age of the fetus. The obstetric period that the doctor will set you on the first day of the last menstruation will differ from it by about two weeks (that is, it will be more gestational).
Using our calculator to calculate the pregnancy period by week, you can also find out the approximate due date and start preparing for them in advance: find a comfortable maternity hospital and a good doctor, study breathing techniques during childbirth, choose a comfortable position for childbirth, think about partner childbirth, arrange nursery and stock up on everything you need to care for the newborn.
Read in this article:
The pregnancy calendar is a kind of list of all the important moments of pregnancy. And you can also use it to calculate the date of birth. In order to calculate when the long-awaited event will happen, you just need to:
- Remember the date of the last period, for example: December 17, 2015.
- Then the most likely date of conception: January 1, 2016.
- Estimated date of birth of the child: September 22, 2016.
You can determine the estimated date of birth yourself using a simple calculation scheme. To do this, remember the date of the first day of the last menstruation and add 280 days to this number.
Pregnancy calculator online
Especially for you, dear future mothers, the site has developed an online pregnancy calendar. With it, you can easily find out the date of the expected birth, the age of the baby in the tummy, how many days are left before the significant event, as well as find out who will be your baby by the zodiac sign.
When a long-awaited pregnancy comes, a woman often scatters her attention to everything at once, so a clear plan of how and what to do during this period simply disappears. In order for any woman to monitor the course of her pregnancy and to be guided by the signs of normal development of the child in one week or another, a weekly pregnancy calendar has been created.
Why do you need a pregnancy calendar
There are many reasons why it is so important to monitor your pregnancy.
- To detect in time deviations from the norm... Of course, every woman wants the fetus to develop well, but if something suddenly goes wrong, you should immediately inform the doctor about it, even if the next consultation is scheduled in two weeks.
- Pregnancy is the happiest period in the life of every woman, and how mysterious it is! The pregnancy calendar helps the fairer sex to know better what is going on in her body at one time or another, to realize at what stage of formation her baby is at the moment.
- It is such a calendar that helps a woman. keep calm when, for example, a crumb starts to move and push, it only seems that you immediately understand what is happening, but in fact, first of all, a kind of panic arises - suddenly something is wrong. Tracking pregnancy week by week is fun.
- In addition to stating the facts and explanations of what exactly happens in a woman's body the pregnancy calendar contains many tips and recommendations regarding nutrition, behavior and other nuances in the life of a pregnant woman.
- Even those women who believe that they know absolutely everything about pregnancy can find here a lot of interesting facts and surprises that the baby prepares while sitting in the tummy.
This pregnancy calendar contains important information for each week about:
- stages of child development;
- actions to be taken in certain cases;
- the woman's well-being.
You will also find a lot of interesting material on how to eat better and what is better to do during different weeks of pregnancy. Here are photos of fetal ultrasound and a video about each week, future mothers will be interested in it. Another important service is a birth date calculator. It accurately calculates the date of the upcoming birth and gives the pregnant woman more confidence in herself and in the upcoming event.
When a woman is expecting a child, she has a huge responsibility. This responsibility cannot be shifted either to the shoulders of relatives or to the shoulders of her beloved husband, because it is the woman who experiences all the sensations that need to be guided by. Therefore, the fairer sex is looking for a pregnancy calendar, as a rule, in order to find out what you need to pay attention to and what to follow during this special period.
Dangers during pregnancy
Everyone knows that there are a number of possible risks during pregnancy that you should undoubtedly pay attention to. Certain weeks of pregnancy are particularly dangerous. During the entire period of pregnancy, there are two periods that are called critical.
- Week 13 - at this time, metamorphoses with hormones occur, special exacerbations are observed in women who have to give birth to a son, because testosterone is produced in the developing body. It is recommended to visit your doctor this week and inform him of the slightest change or pain.
- Week 27 - this period poses a danger for that category of expectant mothers who, before this week, were already worried about hormonal disorders. In this case, you need to be this time under the supervision of a doctor.
Only the two most dangerous weeks have been named, in fact, other periods also pose a certain danger, you can read more about this in the pregnancy calendar. We also do not forget about how much danger the first weeks of pregnancy hide in themselves - the first trimester, when the fetus is just forming.
- During these periods, proper nutrition is not just recommended, it is necessary! Only fortified food, there should not be any hot seasonings or an excess of salt in it.
- Outdoor walks and more! Of course, if it's freezing outside the window, you can't indulge yourself with long walks through the streets, but if possible, you need to be in the fresh air as often as possible.
- We exclude all bad habits, in particular, we are talking about alcohol and smoking, and this is not only for certain weeks, but for the entire period of pregnancy, and even better - for the whole life.
- Dyes and chemicals should be avoided for obvious reasons.
For each week, our calendar contains mandatory and detailed analyzes and medical events.
As a rule, a woman needs to have a separate medical record in order to paste all the certificates and test results there.
- You will also find information in the pregnancy calendar about nutritional features at one time or another during pregnancy. Each step has its own recommendations for taking vitamins, folic acid, calcium and vitamin E.
- Pregnancy is not a reason to restrict movement. For the normal well-being of a woman and a child, physical activity is necessary. But how, to play sports, and at the same time not to harm the child and not endanger the pregnancy? About the basic rules that a pregnant woman must follow when exercising sports, as well as about preferred and undesirable sports, you can learn from the pregnancy calendar.
- Sex - the topic is spicy, especially during pregnancy. You should not deny yourself the pleasure, but still, there are certain restrictions for each trimester of pregnancy. You can find out more about them in the section of the corresponding week.
Pregnancy is a great time with all the surprises and troubles. Take pleasure in exploring this period in detail using the weekly pregnancy calendar.
Pregnancy calculators
The calculator calculates the duration of your pregnancy by the last months. The gestational age is obtained in "obstetric" weeks.
Calculate your pregnancy
Indicate the first day of your last period
As a rule, every pregnant woman has her own calendar, where she enters all the necessary data, circles important dates, and takes notes. With its help, the gestational age is usually calculated.
Considering the nine-month duration of this period, calculations on a piece of paper seem to be a very routine exercise. But modern women live in excellent times - they are not at all obliged to keep such a calendar and engage in tedious arithmetic, unless, of course, they are so sentimental that they decided to keep their weekly notes as a memory of the wonderful time of gestation. You can safely entrust the program with taking care of calculating the gestational age. Indeed, for those who prefer to spend their free hours on activities that are much more useful for the future baby and his mother, there are numerous virtual services like this one (hinting at our calculator).
What do you need to calculate your pregnancy?
In order to calculate the gestational age right now, you just need to remember the date when the last menstruation began and enter it in the appropriate fields of the form. This number is the starting point of your pregnancy. We are talking about the so-called "obstetric weeks" - all over the world it is customary to count pregnancy in this way, although fertilization occurs only in the middle of the cycle. This measure is necessary for the convenience of doctors' work, but often causes surprise and misunderstanding among patients.
It is worth noting that with an ultrasound examination of the fetus, you will be faced with the fact that the known gestational age can be calculated differently - by the weeks of the fetus's life, that is, from the day of conception. You can even find an entry on the ultrasound study results sheet, which will indicate both terms. In order not to be embarrassed by such contradictions, feel free to ask the doctors what kind of gestational age are we talking about, real or obstetric?
It is very important to emphasize that even if you know for sure the date of conception of the baby, in order to calculate the gestational age using a calculator, you need to use the date of the beginning of the last menstruation. If you find it difficult to remember, count 2 weeks ago - with a standard 28-day cycle, ovulation most often occurs on day 14.
I don't remember when my period was. What to do?
Sometimes it happens that a woman does not know when she had her last period, for example, does not remember, does not follow the regularity of the cycle, or has just stopped taking contraceptive drugs. If you have no idea what your pregnancy period is, you can calculate it at. The data obtained in the early stages (up to 12 weeks), when the rate of development of the ovum is still very high and changes are noticeable literally every day, have the greatest reliability. The size of the ovum alone, without taking into account the proportions of the fetus, will tell the doctor a lot. At a later date, errors of up to 2 weeks are possible.
Another very informative method that allows you to calculate the duration of pregnancy is biochemical - a study of a woman's blood for the content of hCG - human chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone is produced by the ovum and is present in the body only during pregnancy (by the way, the well-known instant pregnancy test is based on its determination in urine). The content and with a healthy pregnancy clearly correlates with the timing. It is worth noting that this is far from a routine method that requires a lot of time and money, and it is used mainly for medical reasons.
It should be mentioned that it is within the competence of the obstetrician to find out the gestational age, calculate and assume the probable age of the fetus when conducting a vaginal examination in the early stages. The main object of research in this case will be the uterus and palpation (manual) determination of its size. Of course, we are not talking about absolute accuracy, but the data obtained is quite enough for the successful monitoring of the health of the expectant mother and fetus.
Questions to the article
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