How Far Along Am I How To Work It Out
Once you have that positive pregnancy test, the next questions you probably have are: how far along am I? and when will my baby be due? Suddenly the dream becomes a reality, and theres nothing quite like working out your due date and popping it in your calendar to start the countdown!
Counting pregnancy weeks can be a confusing game, but one thats important to get right so you schedule scans, tests, and appointments for the right times. So lets answer that question. How many weeks pregnant am I? Heres how to work it out.
In this article:
- How do I know how many weeks pregnant I am?
- How to calculate how far along you are
- How to know how far along you are in pregnancy
- Do you have symptoms at 4 weeks pregnant?
When Exactly Does Pregnancy Begin
Most people think that pregnancy starts at conception. Politics aside, thats not entirely accurate. Recent research indicates that conception itself is not a rare event, but only a small portion of fertilized eggs are fit enough to implant. By that logic, the most accurate way of dating pregnancy would be beginning from implantation.
The standard method of dating pregnancies does not start from conception or from implantation. Rather, it starts from the first day of your last menstrual period. Thats rightyour doctor considers day one of your pregnancy as the first day of your period, when you could not have been pregnant!
Tracking Progress: How To Tell How Many Weeks Pregnant Are You
How do I know how many weeks pregnant I am? you ask? Your last menstrual period comes in handy not only for estimating your due date its also used for zeroing in on how many weeks pregnant you are. Youll want to keep track of it in order to monitor your progress as your baby grows.
To figure out your pregnancy week, start counting from the first day of your LMP, which would be considered 0 weeks and 0 days, says Joseph Adashek, MD, FACOG, a perinatologist and co-owner of Desert Perinatal Associates in Las Vegas. The day after you bleed, you are 0 weeks and 1 day pregnant. On the day you conceive, you are 2 weeks and 0 days. After 2 weeks and 6 days, youre considered 3 weeks pregnant, and so on. This is also known as your babys gestational age.
Sounds a bit illogical, given that youre obviously not pregnant until after youve ovulated, right? But in the old days, a gestational age was helpful before ultrasounds could offer clues as to exactly how far along you are, Adashek says. These days, gestational age is still used uniformly around the world to determine how many weeks pregnant you are, especially since many places still dont use ultrasounds routinely. The gestational age is also the age automatically reported by the ultrasound, should your doctor use one.
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How Do I Calculate My Due Date If I Had Ivf
If you used embryo cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization to get pregnant, you can use your IVF transfer date to calculate your due date. If your provider transferred the embryos five days after they retrieved your eggs, count ahead 261 days from the transfer date.
If your provider transferred the embryos three days after egg retrieval, count ahead 263 days to determine your due date. On your transfer day, your provider will calculate your due date and share this information with you.
How Accurate Is A Baby Due Date Calculator
A due date calculator is only an estimate. Your healthcare provider will examine you and your developing fetus to confirm your due date.
To get a more accurate idea of when your baby will be born, your provider will perform an ultrasound. During an ultrasound, your provider measures your baby. These measurements help your provider determine your babys gestational age and confirm your due date.
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What Is The Last Menstrual Period
The LMP is the date of the first day of the last menstrual period you had before conceiving. It is the first day that your last menstrual cycle begins when you see bright red blood, not just a little brown spotting. You should keep track of your LMP each month, either with an online calculator or just by recording it on a calendar each month. That is the date you use when entering the LMP on an online period calculator.
Whether you are trying to get pregnant or not trying to get pregnant, keeping track of your menstrual periods is vital. Besides pregnancy, missing a menstrual period could also be a sign of other issues like missed ovulation.
Metallic Taste In Mouth
The experience of constantly having a metallic taste in your mouth is a pregnancy sign that I am familiar with. It’s difficult to describe, but your mouth feels like you have been sucking on a coin.
It’s a pregnancy symptom that is very common and is unmistakable
You may also experience other strange flavors in your mouth, like saltiness, rancidness, or just a bad taste in general.8
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Calculating From Your Period
Whats In Store For Me Until My Due Date
Now that you know how far along you are, it might be helpful to know that pregnancies are often referred to in weeks and trimesters. Take a look at this pregnancy timeline for a breakdown of the weeks, months, and trimesters of pregnancy:
Here are some of the things you can expect in each trimester of pregnancy:
First trimester : You might notice some early signs of pregnancy, such as morning sickness and food cravings. Your provider will be able to confirm your pregnancy and set up your prenatal visits to make sure you and your baby stay healthy and safe.
Second trimester : This trimester is often referred to as the honeymoon phase of pregnancy. You may feel as if you have some extra energy to get things done, like baby-proofing your home, going to prenatal classes, and doing some gentle pregnancy exercise.
If you aren’t already, this may also be a good time to start doing Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. You can do these simple muscle clenches anywhere, and they’re beneficial not only during pregnancy and labor, but afterwards as well.
Third trimester : You’re nearly there! As you get closer to the birth of your baby, you’ll want to get prepared by making sure you have all the right baby gear. But remember to take the opportunity to slow down and rest whenever you can.
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First Day Of Last Period
Most pregnancies last around 40 weeks , so typically the best way to estimate your due date is to count 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of your last menstrual period . You could also subtract three months from the first day of your last period and add seven days.
The first day of your LMP is how most health care providers estimate a baby’s due date. But remember, it’s only an estimated due date, not a deadline for your baby to arrive. Just 4 percent of babies are born on their estimated due date.
Other Reasons For Missing Your Period
Here are some possible reasons for missing your period but having negative pregnancy tests:
- Menopause
- Starting a new birth control method
- Illness
- Hormone imbalance
If you suspect one of these reasons may be disrupting your normal menstrual cycle, and you have a negative pregnancy, test then you should speak to a health professional.
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Whats The Most Accurate Way To Date A Pregnancy
Going back to the hypothetical scenario above, its easy to see why the most accurate method for calculating how far along you are would be by implantation. Heres the catch: Its very hard to know when implantation occurs with certaintyeven if you know when you ovulated.
After conception , the fertilized egg travels from the fallopian tubes into the uterus. Compared to the tiny blastocyst, the uterus is huge! There are many places for the blastocyst to implant, and it can implant in the upper area of your uterus or it may take the longer route to the lower area.
Because of the time it takes to travel to the implantation location, most experts agree that implantation occurs about nine days after conception, but it can range from as early as six days to as late as 12 days after conception.
There is good news though! While there is no test to determine exactly what day implantation occurred, your body may give you hints that implantation has occurred:
- Implantation cramps: This may feel like regular menstrual cramps, but without the menstrual flow.
- Implantation bleeding: Unlike your period, this is more of a spotting than a full bleed.
You Haven’t Missed Your Period Yet
If you haven’t missed your period yet, mark down the day that you think you may have conceived on, and wait at least six days before the day you are expecting your period to take a First Response pregnancy test. If you think you might be pregnant and do not want to be pregnant, there are emergency contraception methods that are effective within five days of having unprotected sex, so you may want to explore those options.
You can also choose to take a pregnancy test after you miss your period. In fact, some recommend not taking one until one week after your missed period in order to ensure accurate results.3 Be sure to follow the instructions of the brand of pregnancy test that you buy.
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Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made in building this calculator, we are not to be held liable for any damages or monetary losses arising out of or in connection with the use of it. This tool is here purely as a service to you, please use it at your own risk. Full disclaimer. Do not use calculations for anything where loss of life, money, property, etc could result from inaccurate calculations.
How Can I Calculate Important Week
This pregnancy calculator helps you find out exactly how many weeks pregnant you are right now, details your baby’s development, and precisely what is happening to your body at the moment. Just enter your pregnancy due date or other information to create and calculate a personalized weekly and daily pregnancy calendar. The babyMed Monthly Pregnancy Calculator and Calendar is a week-by-week pregnancy calculator and calendar with information for each day of your pregnancy.
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How Can I Calculate How Far Along I Am And My Due Date
If you know the date of the first day of your last menstrual period, or the date of conception, the easiest way to get an estimate of how far along you are is by using the Pampers due date calculator.
Get ready for your baby’s arrival by finding out your estimated due date.
Choose your method:
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Pick up your cycle length
Could You Be Pregnant
If you missed your period, answer these 4 questions:
If you answered “yes” to all questions, there is a high chance that you are pregnant. But only a positive pregnancy test will confirm your suspicion.
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Im 7 Weeks 1 Day Pregnant So Im In My 8th Week Of Pregnancy Right
Wrong. You are seven weeks pregnant.
Many moms assume that being 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant means theyre technically in their eighth week of pregnancy. And, while there is definitely logic behind that, its just not the way the medical community answers the question of how many weeks pregnant am I.
Think of it in terms of your age.
If someone asks you how old you are, you say youre 30, whether youre 30 and 3 days or 30 and 364 days. Even the night before your 31st birthday, you still say youre 30, although youve almost completed your 31st year.
So how many weeks pregnant are you? Most mamas answer that by saying how many weeks and days theyve completed:
- Im 8 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
- Ill be 20 weeks pregnant on Monday.
- Im 32 weeks and 6 days pregnant.
What About Your Ovulation Date
After implantation, the most accurate method for dating pregnancy is to use your ovulation date. If you know when you ovulate, you have a much greater chance of accurately answering the question how many weeks pregnant am I?
But this isnt a foolproof method eitheryou could be off by a few days, or you could make a miscalculation when trying to figure out when you will ovulate.
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How Do I Know How Many Weeks Pregnant I Am Topic Guide
How Long Does It Take Hcg Levels To Be Detected By Home Pregnancy Tests
Pregnancy doesn’t necessarily start the day that two people have sex. An egg can be fertilized by sperm up to six days after intercourse.5 And then, it can take between six and ten days for the egg to implant itself in the uterus.
The hormone that home pregnancy tests look for starts being released from when the fertilized egg implants itself, which is why you have to wait for them to be effective.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, HCG is made by cells formed in the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it is has implanted itself in the wall of the uterus.4
Levels of HCG can be detected by two kinds of tests:5
- Blood testâaccurate as early as 11 days after conception
- Urine testâaccurate as early as 12 to 14 days after conception
So, if you don’t know when your period is supposed to start and you think you might be pregnant, you should test about two weeks after you had sex and possibly conceived.5
If it’s negative and your period still hasn’t come and you still think you might be pregnant, test again in another week.
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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.
First Response Pregnancy Test Accuracy Vs Date
| Monday | |
|---|---|
|
Period is expected. |
Test is 99% accurate |
As you can see above, roughly one in four pregnant women who take this test will get a false negative when they take it six days before the day of their missed period. Five days before the day of the missed period, however, it will be accurate for 96% of women, and 99% of women will get the correct result if they take it four days or less before the day of the missed period.
In general, the accuracy of home pregnancy tests gets better the longer you wait to take them. If you take a test and it comes out negative and you still think you might be pregnant, wait three days and test again. If you test and it’s positive, you’re pregnant.
Other pregnancy tests are also very reliableâthey just can’t be used as early as First Response. Most brands of pregnancy test are accurate from the day of the missed period.
Be sure to follow the testing instructions of the pregnancy test brand that you bought very closely. Different brands have different instructions.
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