Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices
It’s not all about what you add to your routine it’s also about what you take away. When trying to conceive, it’s more important than ever to avoid alcohol, drugs, and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
These habits can affect a baby and lead to genetic disorders, respiratory problems, low birth weight, fetal alcohol syndrome, and other health issues.
How Far Along Am I Four Ways To Figure Out How Pregnant You Are
Youre itching to know when your little one will arrive. Heres how to calculate how far you are in your pregnancy.
Its a question youll hear over and over until youre holding a baby in your arms: When are you due? Everyone wants to know that magic date, and youre probably more than a little curious about how far along you are, too. Your due date may become a beacon or a deadline , but its important to remember that your due date will only ever be an estimate of the week youll give birth .
That said, theres one big reason why an accurate estimate is important: in case of complications. If a woman goes into labour early, then we really want to know how far along she is, as best as we can tell, says Carol Scurfield, medical director of the Womens Health Clinic in Winnipeg. A week can make a big difference as far as the health of the baby is concerned.
Do your best to calculate your due date as soon as you discover youre pregnant. Heres how to do it.
How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I
Its common to hear a pregnancy is 40 weeks long. When in fact, the length of pregnancy is more of a range.
- Early term is from 37 weeks of pregnancy, through to 38 completed weeks of pregnancy
- Full term is from 39 weeks of pregnancy, through to 40 completed weeks of pregnancy
- Late term is from 41 weeks of pregnancy, through 41 completed weeks of pregnancy
- Post term is from 42 weeks of pregnancy and beyond.
As little as 3-5% of babies are born on the estimated due date, with roughly 40% born in the two weeks prior, and 40% in the two weeks after.
So, once youve worked out the estimated due date, you might like to announce that your pregnancy due date is sometime in October, for example, instead of the 4th of October.
Why? So your friends and family dont jump all over you and hound you with calls, text messages, Facebook messages and emails all day on the 4th of October!
It might sound fun now, but ask anyone who is about to have a baby, and theyll wish no-one knew of their estimated due date!
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What Can A High Hcg Level Mean
There are a few reasons why a womans hCG can be particularly high – miscalculation of pregnancy dates, carrying a multiple pregnancy or very rarely, a molar pregnancy or a placental tumour. It is common for health care providers, if concerned, to recommend repeat testing with 48-72 hours to check for changes in the level of hCG.
How Long Are Women Actually Pregnant For
A study from 1990 of over 1000 women found that the median gestation length for first-time mothers was 277 288 days since LMP. For second-time mothers, median gestation length was slightly shorter and about 275 287 days since LMP.
Interestingly, one study of a small population of 125 Caucasian women found that gestation lasted on average 268 days from ovulation, and that despite no labor or preterm complications in the sample pool, gestation length varied by 37 days across the sample. Progesterone may explain the variability because a slower rise in progesterone after implantation correlated with a longer pregnancy. But, keep in mind, this is a small sample size with one racial background.
Although research doesnt understand why yet, racial background does affect gestation length. A study of over 100,000 women in London found that women of African or Asian backgrounds had a median gestation length of 273 days, which is about a week shorter than Caucasian women.
Bottom line: how many weeks pregnant the average woman is when she gives birth does vary considerably, but about 282 days from LMP seems to be more accurate although whether thats true for women of all ethnic backgrounds definitely requires more research.
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How To Calculate How Many Weeks You Are
Example:count one week to the nextuntil you reach the present date.
LMP = December 2, 2021
1st Wed = December 9, 2021 = 1 Week2nd Wed = December 16, 2021 = 2 Weeks9th Wed = February 3, 2022 = 9 WeeksYou are 9 Weeks and 1 Day pregnant
Another method to calculate how many weeks pregnant you are is to:
How Many Weeks Am I Formula:LMP = Last Menstrual PeriodHow Far Along Am I Formula:LMP = Last Menstrual Period*LMP date may be adjusted if unknown or following ultrasound.
Each of these methods will give you the gestational age of your pregnancy.
Why Using Your Lmp Isnt The Most Accurate Method Of Dating Pregnancy
Calculating the start of pregnancy by last menstrual period isnt the most accurate method because there are many factors that affect when you ovulate. Picture this scenario:
- Mama 1: Starts period on Day 1, ovulates on day 14, and conceives on day 14. On day 28, she takes a test and its positive. Shes four weeks pregnant, but has only had life within her for two weeks.
- Mama 2: Starts period on Day 1, ovulates late on day 21, and conceives on day 22. On day 35, she takes a test, and its positive. Shes five weeks pregnant, but has had life within for only two weeks.
In the example above, both women started their period on the same day, and both women have had life within them for two weeks. But one woman is labeled four weeks pregnant and the other is labeled five weeks pregnant.
As you can see, the answer to how many weeks pregnant am I isnt as easy as youd think.
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Calculate Using Your Last Menstrual Period
The formula for calculating how far along you are is simply the number of days since the first day of your last menstrual period divided by seven:
Days since start of LMP ÷ 7 = # of weeks pregnant
Wondering how to calculate your number of months pregnant?
Days since start of LMP ÷ 30 = # of months pregnant
How To Calculate In Weeks
To calculate gestational age in weeks, note the date of your last menstruation on a calendar. Every 7 days, as of this date, will count as another week of life for the baby.
For example, if the first day of the last menstrual period was 11th of March and the result of the pregnancy test is positive, to know the gestational age, one should begin counting the pregnancy from the 1st day of the last menstrual period and not the day the sexual relationship occurred.
If March 11th, which was the LMD, was a Tuesday, the following Monday the baby will have completed 7 days and the gestational age continues increasing every 7 days. If today was April 16th, Wednesday, the baby would have a gestational age of 5 weeks and 2 days, that is, 2 months of pregnancy.
The calculation is done in this way because although you may not yet be pregnant, it is very difficult to define exactly when fertilization occurred, because sperm cells can survive up to 7 days in the woman’s body before fertilizing the egg and actually initiating a pregnancy.
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What Does It Mean If I Give Birth Before My Due Date
Pre-term birth is defined as birth occurring before week 37, but as you can suspect, inaccurate dating can also be problematic here. There is a diagnostic range of pre-term, with very pre-term being less than 28 weeks and late pre-term being closer to 36 weeks. Based on this spectrum, your doctor can attempt to delay delivery to help the baby grow longer in utero, or if it cannot be delayed, your baby will have to be closely monitored to ensure its health.
Using Date Of Conception
The window for conception ranges from a few days before ovulation to a few days after. A typical menstrual cycle of 28 days means you ovulated around day 14. So if you know the exact date of conception, count 266 days to get your due datebut, of course, understand that baby might actually arrive a few days before or after, says Skeete Henry.
Counting from date of conception isnt always the most precise method for determining how far along you are, since its often difficult to know, with absolute certainty, when you actually conceived. Were not just talking about the day you had sex sperm can live inside your fallopian tubes for up to five days, so its possible to conceive up to five days after intercourse.
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How Do I Work Out How Many Weeks Pregnant I Am
Pregnancy normally lasts from 38 to 42 weeks. It can be tricky at first to work out how to count your pregnancy in weeks and months, as when we measure your pregnancy from the start of your last period, your baby is actually two weeks younger than the pregnancy start date, otherwise referred to as the ‘gestational age’. So, this means when your doctor tells you you’re four weeks pregnant, your baby’s gestational age is actually two weeks.
How Is Pregnancy Due Date Calculated
MISHKANET.COM” alt=”19 weeks pregnant how many months > MISHKANET.COM”> Your pregnancy due date is calculated by adding 40 weeks to the first day of your last menstrual period . This is done with an assumption that you have a 28-day menstrual cycle. The time between your menstrual period and ovulation is calculated as the first two weeks of pregnancy, as ovulation takes place two weeks after the first day of LMP. If you deliver the baby on the estimated due date, she is 38 weeks old after conception and not 40 .
If you miss your first period, you are likely to be four weeks pregnant .
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Why Is Pregnancy Calculated From Your Last Period
Why start the clock on pregnancy before sperm even meets egg ? The LMP is simply a more reliable day to date a pregnancy from. Even if youre a master of cervical mucus and are sure about the day you ovulated as well as the day you had sex, you probably cant pinpoint the exact moment of conception.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
- What to Expect Before You’re Expecting, 2nd edition, Heidi Murkoff.
What Are The Risks Of Labor Induction If Im Not Post
Induction is often the safest option for post-term pregnancies, but it may not make sense to discuss induction until you are confident that you are truly post-term. This is because the drugs used for labor induction do carry some risks. They can cause abnormal contractions, which can adversely affect the babys oxygen intake and heart rate, and can increase the likelihood of post-birth hemorrhage and infection. Also, theres always the chance that the induction fails, in which case a c-section will likely be the next step.
In the case of true post-term cases, the benefits generally outweigh risks, but its important to be aware of this cost-benefit assessment.
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Why Is The Ultrasound Method So Useful In Calculating How Many Weeks Pregnant You Are
Healthy embryos grow at a very predictable rate in the first trimester, so the crown to rump measurement can provide a more accurate estimate as to how many weeks pregnant you are. Crown to rump refers to the distance between the head to the end of babys bottom . When dating ultrasounds are done before the 13th week of pregnancy, their accuracy is +/- five to seven days. In the second trimester that jumps up to +/- seven to 10 days.
The above image depicts an early ultrasound used for dating purposes.
If you get an official due date from your dating ultrasound, you can use our reverse due date calculator to see when you likely conceived, then youll have a much better answer for how many weeks pregnant am I.
Pregnancy Term & Due Date
Pregnancy is a term used to describe a woman’s state over a time period during which one or more offspring develops inside of a woman. Childbirth usually occurs approximately 38 weeks after conception, or about 40 weeks after the last menstrual period. The World Health Organization defines a normal pregnancy term to last between 37 and 42 weeks. During a person’s first OB-GYN visit, the doctor will usually provide an estimated date at which the child will be born, or due date. Alternatively, the due date can also be estimated based on a person’s last menstrual period.
While the due date can be estimated, the actual length of pregnancy depends on various factors, including age, length of previous pregnancies, and weight of the mother at birth.1 However, there are still more factors affecting natural variation in pregnancy terms that are not well understood. Studies have shown that fewer than 4% of births occur on the exact due date, 60% occur within a week of the due date, and almost 90% occur within two weeks of the due date.2 As such, while it is possible to be fairly confident that a person’s child will be born within about two weeks of the due date, it is currently not possible to predict the exact day of birth with certainty.
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What Are The Different Ways To Estimate The Due Date Of A Pregnancy
The following ways help calculate how many weeks pregnant a woman is and the estimated due date.
Calculating by using the date of the last menstrual period
This is one of the most common, simple and most accurate ways to figure out how many weeks pregnant a woman is and estimate the approximate due date. The way to calculate the due date is to take the first date of the last normal period and add 280 days , which is the typical length of a normal pregnancy. The period that is to be tracked should be typical of a womans menstrual cycle. This means it should be the same number of days as a usual period, the same amount of bleeding and the same amount of discomfort. Thats because sometimes a woman may bleed after shes pregnant, but that bleeding is different from a normal period.
- The formula for calculating how many weeks pregnant a woman is the number of days since the first day of her last menstrual period divided by seven. So, the number of days since the start of LMP divided by seven equals the number of weeks pregnant
- The formula to calculate how many months pregnant a woman is the number of days since the first day of a womans last menstrual period divided by 30. This means the number of days since the start of LMP divided by 30 equals the number of months pregnant.
Calculating using a dating ultrasound
Calculating using a pregnancy test with a weeks indicator
Calculating based on fetal milestones
Sex At Week 4 Of Pregnancy
Unless a doctor advises you otherwise, your sex life can continue as normal throughout pregnancy.
Heres a quick run-down of your week 4 pregnancy checklist:
- If youre still not sure, nows the time to get a pregnancy test.
- Even if you did your pregnancy test at home, get down to the clinic anyway to see your doctor.
- Ask your doctor about scheduling an ultrasound scan.
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How Many Weeks Pregnant Am I How Far Along You Are
Youve just found out youre pregnant so, naturally, one of the first things youll be wondering is how many weeks pregnant am I?!
Its important to understand that a due date is calculated using a simple formula based on averages.
Not your own unique body, exactly when your baby was conceived.
So that magic, exciting due date wont be totally accurate, but itll be close.
To find out how many weeks you are, use our pregnancy calculator. Youll need to know the first day of your last menstrual period.
Pregnancy Week 4 Fetal Development
During this important phase of your pregnancy, the embryo grows and develops within the lining of the uterus. The outer cells form links with your blood supply, while the inner cells form 3 separate layers:
- The inner layer becomes the lungs, stomach, gastrointestinal system, and bladder.
- The middle layer becomes the heart, blood vessels, muscles, and bones.
- The outer layer becomes the brain and nervous system .
During the first part of this stage of pregnancy, the embryo draws nourishment from a small yolk sac. Soon afterwards, the placenta that develops from the outer layer of the amniotic sac that surrounds the embryo takes over this role of providing sustenance to your growing baby.
During this period, the beginning of a face starts to form: this includes large, dark circles for eyes, and a mouth, lower jaw, and throat. Blood cells start to form and the circulation begins.
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