Factors Affecting Due Date
With so much focus and excitement over an assigned day, youd think itd be an accurate numberbut its not always the case. The simple truth is that only 5 out of 100 women will deliver their babies on their actual due date.
Still, determining which week of pregnancy youre in is crucial to receiving good prenatal care and planning for your upcoming life change.
The majority of babies are born over a 35-day span, with birth occurring anywhere from about 37.5 weeks to 42.5 weeks. Due dates also not deadlines. You could have your baby a week later than your due date and still be considered on time.
There are many factors that can influence your due date. First, each pregnant person has their own predetermined schedule.Many people will tell you that their pregnancies were all about the same length. If you had two kids, each delivered around 41 weeks, your third kid is likely to arrive around 41 weeks.
People who are pregnant for the first time tend to go into labor later. Youre more likely to go a few days past your due date with your first baby.
And finally, some people are at risk of preterm labor. About one in 10 pregnancies end with premature delivery. Maternal risk factors for premature babies include having a previous preterm birth, vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and even periodontal disease.
How Far Along Am I Calculating Weeks Pregnant
You have a suspicion something is happening with your body. Could you be pregnant?
You start thinking about your menstrual cycle and you count the days, trying to figure out dates.
You buy yourself a pregnancy test to find out whether it could be true.
As you place the pregnancy test in your urine and wait for the result, your heart races.
This is it. The moment you find out.
Either you were going crazy, or that intuition of yours was working all along.
Then you see it: two lines!
Yes, you can distinctly see more than one line.
Youre pregnant!
As a multitude of emotions erupts inside you, your mind quickly shifts to the question: How far along am I?
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
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Will I Get A More Accurate Due Date Later In The Pregnancy
You will have your first appointment with the midwife, the ‘booking appointment’, between 8 weeks and 12 weeks pregnant. Here you will be given a scan and receive an accurate date for your baby’s birth. But if you’re impatient to know when your baby will arrive, then our pregnancy calculator tool gives you an estimate due date without the wait.
Not pregnant yet?
What Is A Due Date Calculator
A due date calculator helps you estimate when your baby will be born. By calculating your due date, youll have an idea of your babys birthday. But keep in mind that your due date is only an estimate. Very few babies are actually born on the day they were due.
Knowing your due date is important for several reasons. It helps you plan and prepare for your babys arrival. It also gives your provider essential information they need to monitor your health and your babys health.
You can calculate your due date at home using a couple of different methods. But these methods arent always accurate. When you visit your provider, they may give you a different due date based on the size of your baby on ultrasound and the date of your last period.
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How Far Along Am I From Ovulation Date
Even if you dont have a regular average cycle, or your cycle length varies, the second half of your cycle is the more regular part.
The second half goes from ovulation to the first day of your next period, or missed period if youre pregnant.
That means any pregnancy calculator will say youre two weeks pregnant when your egg and the sperm havent even met yet.
The reason its done this way is because the first day of your period is the first day of your menstrual cycle and the due date is calculated by adding 280 days or 40 weeks to this date. Remember, the average pregnancy is 40 weeks long.
Technically, if we count pregnancy weeks from ovulation youre two weeks less pregnant than what the due date calculator says by starting from your LMP.
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Can A Blood Test Tell Me How Far Along I Am In My Pregnancy
Blood test results are about 99 per cent accurate and can detect lower amounts of hCG than urine pregnancy tests. The two main types of blood pregnancy test include: Quantitative blood test measures the exact amount of hCG in the blood and can give you an estimate of how far along the pregnancy has progressed.
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Can The Pregnancy Conception Calculator Be Wrong
Yes, of course. So, when does conception happen? There is no possibility being 100 % sure about it. You may be a little bit more certain if you track your cycle and have it perfectly regular. But even ultrasounds and blood tests aren’t faultless. Remember, that your fertile window begins up to 5 days before ovulation and ends one day after it. So, although your conception date is, e.g., 11 July 2019, the intercourse that caused the pregnancy may have occurred as early as 6 July. However, with our conception calendar calculator, you can make an estimated guess!
What Happens During Each Week Of Pregnancy
Our pregnancy week by week emails will keep you updated about whats happening every week of your pregnancy!
Simply enter in your estimated due date, and well send you emails based on what week of pregnancy youre currently at no need for calculations!
All the best for a wonderful pregnancy and be sure to bookmark BellyBelly for all your pregnancy questions and answers.
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What Is The Ultrasound Date And Why Is It Different From My Due Date
When a doctor performs an ultrasound, they write a report on the findings and include two estimated due dates. The first date is calculated using the date of the LMP. The second date is based on the ultrasound measurements. These dates are rarely the same.
When your doctor evaluates the ultrasound results, theyll determine whether or not these dates are in agreement. Your doctor probably wont change your due date unless its significantly different from your ultrasound date.
If you have more ultrasounds, each ultrasound report will contain a new due date based on the most recent measurements. An expected due date shouldnt be changed based on measurements from a second- or third-trimester ultrasound.
Due date estimations are more accurate earlier in pregnancy. Later ultrasounds are helpful in determining whether the fetus is growing well but not for determining the age of the fetus.
With A Late Ultrasound
An early ultrasound confers all kinds of benefits, according to Plancher. Not only can you get an accurate date on the pregnancy, but you can also check for tubal pregnancies and reduce your risk of miscarriage .
Unfortunately, not everyone knows they’re pregnant so early. What if you’re really caught off guard, like somewhere in the second trimester? “Sometimes pregnant women show up at 15 weeks, and then you have to use an ultrasound â but thereâs a wider range of error, and you have to know that,” Plancher notes.
Plancher says that first trimester ultrasounds have about a one-week range of error second trimester ultrasounds have two-week range, and third trimester ultrasounds have an incredible three-week range of error â which is like a month of your pregnancy.
Calculating how far along you are gets harder as gestation progresses because of natural variability in fetal size and observer error. Hariton agrees that second- and third-trimester ultrasounds are not ideal for determining due dates. âThis is because the normal range of size for the fetus is wider, so you canât really tell if, for example, this is a small 34-week fetus or a large 30-week fetus,â he says. Reading and measuring those ultrasounds isn’t easy, especially as your baby grows and gets to wiggling.
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Practical Example Of The Use Of Conception Date Calculator
Let’s take Anne. She is 11 weeks pregnant, and still doesn’t know her conception day. The first day of her last period was 11 June 2018, and typically, her cycle lasts for 31 days . As mentioned before, we can assume that her ovulation began around 17 days after her LMP, on 28 June 2018.
11th June 2018 + 17 days = 28th June 2018
She conceived around her ovulation date , on 28 June 2018. However, instead of all this counting, she used our pregnancy conception calculator.
Next up is Maggie. She just came back from the doctor, who told her that the due date is on 19 September 2019. Now, she has one question: ‘what day did I conceive?’.
19th September 2019 – 266 days = 26th January 2019
You don’t have to do the calculations by hand! Just put the numbers into our conception date calculator based on the due date. It can also work as a pregnancy week calculator, giving you an estimated week of pregnancy and the first day of your last period.
Now, to ensure that both the mother and child are healthy during and after pregnancy, both Anne and Maggie should control their pregnancy weight gain.
Calculate Using A Dating Ultrasound
A dating ultrasound, which measures the length of the fetus from crown to rump, is an accurate way to estimate your due date or how far along you are if completed within the first trimester . Most women have a pretty good idea of when their last period was, within a day or two, says Scurfield. If a woman has no idea, youll want to try to get her as early as you can. Once you get past 13 weeks, the variability of the growth is such that an ultrasound can be off by a week or so.
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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:
First trimester : You might notice some early signs of pregnancy, such as morning sickness and food cravings. Make an appointment with your doctor or midwife to 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 period of pregnancy. You may experience a burst of extra energy. Use it to get things done, like baby-proofing your home, going to prenatal classes or doing some gentle pregnancy exercise.
Third trimester : You’re nearly there! As you get closer to the birth of your baby, get prepared by making sure you have all the essential baby gear you’ll need but don’t overdo it â slow down and rest whenever you can.
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 Calculate My Due Date
You can calculate your due date by using:
The date of your last period
You can calculate your due date if you know the first day of your last menstrual period before you got pregnant. Your due date is 40 weeks after the day you started your last period.
This method is a good way to estimate when your baby is due because many women remember the day they started their period. But it might not always be accurate, especially if you have an irregular menstrual cycle or are on birth control.
The date you conceived
If you know the exact day you conceived, you can use that information to figure out when your baby is due. Count ahead 38 weeks from the day you got pregnant. That day is your due date.
This method is only accurate if youre sure about the day you got pregnant. You may only know the specific day you got pregnant if you know when you ovulated. Ovulation happens when your ovaries release an egg. Usually, women ovulate about 14 days after the first day of their period. You can track your ovulation by:
- Taking your basal body temperature around the time when you think you might be ovulating.
- Tracking your ovulation symptoms, such as ovulation pain and cervical mucus.
- Using an ovulation predictor kit. These kits use your urine to detect when youre ovulating.
What If I Dont Know When My Last Period Was
If you dont have a regular 28 day cycle or if you cant remember when your last period arrived, you can book an early pregnancy ultrasound to estimate how many weeks pregnant you are.
Bear in mind, the due date based on your own, unique cycle is most accurate, followed by early ultrasound, then late ultrasound.
The reason for this is when a baby first forms, they follow a predictable growth pattern, as they develop all the initial building blocks.
But as your baby gets bigger, he or she will develop at their own rate genetics come into play.
Ultimately, its best to avoid ultrasounds if you can, because ultrasound heats tissue. Especially early ultrasounds , which are often internal. Your developing baby will have the internal ultrasound wand placed very close to their brain.
Have an ultrasound if you must, but try to keep the time to a minimum and avoid any that are unnecessary.
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How Do I Calculate How Far Along My Pregnancy Is
Knowing exactly how far along you are in your pregnancy can be confusing. Pregnancy symptoms are different for each woman and make for an unreliable guide to determine where you are in the gestational period. So exactly how does one determine their date of conception or due date?
When Was Your Last Period?
Knowing the first date of your last period is key. This is the date most commonly used to determine gestational age. For most women, this date is about two weeks before ovulation and conception occurred. Conception typically takes place between eleven and twenty-one days after the first day of your last period.
Most women dont know their exact day of ovulation, but they usually know when their last period began, so this is the most reliable way to determine how far along you are and when you would be full term.
How Do I Calculate My Due Date?
To account for the two weeks prior to conception, doctors take the first day of your last menstrual period and add 280 days todetermine the due date.
From there, you can also determine how far along you are by counting how many weeks it has been since the first day of your last period. For instance, if your last period began on August 1st, you would be eight weeks on September 26th, thirteen weeks on October 31st, and your due date would be May 8th. This example is based on a 28-day cycle. If your cycle is longer or shorter, it will change slightly.
Using Ultrasound to Determine or Verify Gestational Age
Signs Of Impending/active Labour
- If your cat refuses food, acts restless, and appears for a secluded place to cool down, it can be as a result of her labour is because of beginning terribly before long.
- Your cats blood heat can drop to around 37.8°C within the 12-24 hours before her labour starts.
- Right before the biological process, mum might become a lot of vocal, seem agitated and need to clean perpetually.
- Delivery ought, to begin with, sturdy abdominal contractions, followed by some discharge from her canal. If the discharge is significant and black, or blood-colored, then contact your vet.
- After this discharge, the kittens ought to follow terribly quickly!
Most cat labours go swimmingly and you should not need to interfere. There are some signs, however, like stained discharge and mum straining while not manufacturing kittens, which may counsel complications. If you notice either of those or have the other considerations, contact your vet.
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What If I Don`t Know When I Had My Last Period
In case you don`t remember when you had your last menstruation, if you didn`t had one for a while due to a specific treatment or if you breastfed, you can make a ultrasound and you can find out in what pregnancy week you are. The date resulted by taking into consideration your last period is the best way to find out how long you are pregnant, followed by the ultrasound method. This happens because when the fetus forms, while he`s developing there`re certain uniform patterns of evolution. But while the fetus gets bigger, he starts to develop in a unique way because the genes intervene. Check for more info!
It would be best to avoid ultrasounds as much as possible, especially the ones during the first few weeks, which are normally intravaginal ones. This means the doctor will get very close to your baby. If you must, make a ultrasound, but as a general rule of thumb avoiding the unnecessary ones.
