Pregnancy for any woman is a very important and exciting event.
Each young mother wants her child’s development to proceed normally and without complications, for this it is important to observe the regimen, carry out all prescribed examinations and, in the event of alarming symptoms, consult a doctor in time.
In order to properly control the pregnancy and prescribe an estimated date of birth, doctors expect obstetric duration of pregnancy.
For this, gynecologists use an ultrasound examination, a blood test for chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and, starting from the 5th week of pregnancy, your gynecologist will be able to accurately determine the gestation period manually, depending on the condition of the uterus, which increases and changes the shape of each term.
At home, such surveys are impossible, but our time there are a huge number of ways by which a young mom can easily calculate their gestational age by weeks and days.
For this purpose, various calendars for pregnant women, visual tables and a technological novelty are used - a pregnancy calculator that allows you to calculate the period with a day accuracy. BUT if you watch your menstrual cycle closely and know the date of ovulation, in order to calculate the duration of pregnancy by the date of conception you don't even need a calculator.
Fetal development
Standard gestational age - 40-42 obstetric weeks or 280 days, however it is worth considering that this is an average. Only 2% of children are born strictly within the prescribed period. Such inaccuracies can be caused both by an error in the calculations, and by the peculiarities of the woman's body, because you can not carry a little or carry a child.
Nothing wrong with that, your gynecologist will observe you the entire waiting period for your baby and solve problems that may disturb you during pregnancy.
It is also necessary to remember that doctors traditionally count the obstetric period of pregnancy from the beginning of the last menstrual period, which can also give quite a serious error - up to two weeks. This is because of the menstrual cycle.
Often women, especially those who give birth not for the first time, inexplicably feel the sixth sense of the onset of pregnancy long before the first day of the delay.
Some mommies even claim that up to an hour they know the time of conception.
Pregnancy seriously changes the body of a woman, affects all the systems of her body from taste to emotional reactions and body temperature.
Changes in the mother's body begin from the very first day of fetal development, but usually the woman begins to suspect pregnancy, not waiting for menstruation at the proper time, and it is possible to feel the first movement of the fetus only at 18-20 weeks.
Calculate the time
Determining the gestational age by the date of the last menstrual period is the most popular and obvious way. It is also very simple - remember the start date of the last menstrual period and add 14 days, during this period ovulation occurs and the highest chance of becoming pregnant.
So you determine the date of conception, and calculate the duration of pregnancy by conception is easy. If you subtract the date of the beginning of pregnancy from today's date, you will find out your current date.
Such calculations are suitable for women with a standard monthly cycle of 28 days, if you have a cycle of more or less you can use special programs for calculating the day of ovulation or ovulation tests, which are sold in any pharmacy. This method allows you to quite accurately calculate the pregnancy by days, the error is only 3-5 days.
Many girls believe that the day of conception is determined by the date of the last unprotected sexual intercourse, but in fact this is not the most accurate way, because spermatozoa can live in the uterus and fallopian tubes for up to 7 days, waiting for ovulation.
For the same reason, trying to have a child is better to “hurry up” and make maximum efforts before ovulation than to be late even for a day. Remember that the egg after leaving the ovary lives all day. More on fertilizing an egg can.
Pregnancy calculator
Not all future moms want to sit over the calendars, counting the days and weeks on their own, but the technology does not stand still.
Nowadays, you can calculate the duration of pregnancy online without any means at hand without even leaving your home. To do this, find a pregnancy calculator in any search engine and enter into it the date of the beginning of the last menstruation. The program is so easy to use that even young fathers who are waiting for the baby to appear and are following the pregnancy along with their mothers will be able to calculate the duration of pregnancy using an online calculator.
More complex calculators also request the average length of the month, it allows you to more accurately determine the date of conception and gestational age. The more data a calculator requires, the more accurate the result will be.
How to find a pregnancy calculator?
On the Internet, you can often see ads that promise to calculate the gestational age by weeks using an online calculator. However, you should carefully select the sites that will lead to such links.
We found safe programs that will help calculate the duration of pregnancy:
Unfortunately, some of them are created by amateurs and can mislead the future mother by incorrectly determining the waiting time for the baby.
Most often, the best and most accurate pregnancy calculators are placed on special sites for mummies, after all administrators of such sites take care of their visitors and check the information that they put on their resource.
If you are an advanced user of any modern smartphone, then you know that in any application store you can download useful and interesting programs specifically for women.For example, a variety of female calendars. They collect and analyze information about your menstrual cycle, changes in temperature and state of health, calculate for you the date of the onset of ovulation, and also contain a pregnancy calculator that allows you to calculate the duration of pregnancy by weeks. Many of them even contain references and recommendations that are relevant for a given period of pregnancy.
Such an electronic diary will greatly facilitate the control of pregnancy to you and your doctor, especially if you kept it before conceiving a child.
Having found that a long-awaited pregnancy has come, many women are experiencing a surge of enthusiasm and at the same time a desire to learn as much as possible in more detail about their new condition. Since changes in the body of a woman waiting for a child occur constantly, it is very convenient to calculate the pregnancy calendar weekly and monitor your condition, referring to it.
Calculate pregnancy calendar and pregnancy period
To calculate the calendar of pregnancy and term, special online services have been created. It’s easy to use our calendar: just enter a date in the special window when the last monthly periods started - and within a few seconds you will become the owner of a personal calendar. The calculator will break the duration of your pregnancy into weeks, denoting the time frame for each of them: the start date and the end date of all the weeks of your pregnancy separately.
It is very convenient and useful: referring to the personal calendar, you can adjust your lifestyle and nutrition, taking into account the needs of the mother and baby on different terms. You will also know in which of the periods the laying and development of the organs of your baby occur, your own state and well-being changes, and your doctor will make it easier to monitor the well-being of your pregnancy. In addition, with the help of this calendar it is easy to figure out when one ends and another trimester of pregnancy begins.
Calculate pregnancy calendar and date of delivery
This calendar of pregnancy also allows you to calculate the approximate date of birth. It falls on the date of the end of the fortieth week of pregnancy.
Of course, absolute - up to a day - accuracy with this and any other method of calculation cannot be obtained, because the duration of the menstrual cycle in different women may fluctuate, and the duration of the child's birth period is an individual indicator, despite the fact that there are average norms.
In any case, by calculating the pregnancy calendar for weeks, you can find out what has changed in your body and what happens to your baby this or that week, as well as when you can approximately prepare for the birth and expect the birth of the most beloved creature in the world !
Each woman, having learned that she is in a position, seeks to calculate the exact duration of the pregnancy as soon as possible. On it you can calculate the approximate date of the birth of the long-awaited baby. The determination of the period of pregnancy is also required by the gynecologist to track the development of the fetus, identify violations, timely assignment of tests and examinations.
How do doctors determine the duration of pregnancy?
Women who come to the medical facility and claim to be pregnant are asked first by the gynecologist when the last menstrual periods were. It is from this date that he will keep counting. Interesting, right? Fertilization has not yet come, because it occurs during ovulation in the middle of the cycle, and midwives from the early date start counting.
This method of determining the duration of pregnancy and childbirth is called " obstetric». True the term of the interesting position is about 2 put on less than the term that the doctor tells the pregnant woman. The minimum term for determining pregnancy using this method is 2-3 weeks.
You can find out the term by the results of ultrasound. Their accuracy will be less in the later periods, because each baby develops in the mother’s tummy in its own way. The doctor determines the duration of pregnancy by the size of the fetus. The following indicators are measured:
- biparietal size, defined between the temporal bones (BPR);
- frontal-occipital size (LZR);
- head circumference (OG);
- abdominal circumference (coolant);
- thigh length (dlb);
- the diameter of the chest (DGrK), etc.
Each week is characterized by certain values of the above criteria. The gynecologist uses to calculate a special table for determining the duration of pregnancy.
The doctor can determine the term interesting position on the size of the uterus in the process of gynecological examination. For example, in the 4th week of pregnancy, the organ can be compared with a chicken egg, and on the 8th week with a goose egg. Later, it is difficult to determine the size of the uterus.
How else do doctors determine the duration of pregnancy? For example, the method of determining the duration of the position along the length of the uterus. Used by the meter or centimeter tape. As a rule, the number of weeks is equal to the length of the uterus. For example, during the measurement it turned out that the length of the uterus is 34 cm. This means that the period is 34 weeks. To obtain reliable results, a woman is recommended to empty her bladder before visiting a doctor.
How to determine the duration of pregnancy at home?
A pregnant woman can independently calculate the duration of her interesting position without the help of doctors. How to know the pregnancy at home? There are several ways:
- by last month;
- by date of conception
- on the first stir of the crumbs;
- using an online calculator.
1. How to determine the duration of pregnancy for the last menstruation?
The easiest way by which doctors and many women find out the duration of pregnancy - the last month. How to determine the duration of pregnancy for the last menstruation? Between the date of the onset of menstruation and the date of the calculation it is necessary to count the number of weeks. This will be the term of pregnancy.
By the date of the last menstruation, it is convenient to calculate the date of birth. There is a special formula for Negel. From the date of the last month, 3 months are counted back and 7 days are added.
Calculation of pregnancy for the last month - quite simple, but inaccurate method, since it is longer than the true period for a couple of weeks.
2. How to determine the duration of pregnancy by the date of conception?
Recall that conception occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle after a ripe egg cell leaves the ovary (ovulation) within 24 hours. The method of calculating the gestational age by the date of conception is suitable for women who know exactly when they had ovulation. The determination of the gestational period by weeks. The countdown is from the date of ovulation. You can also use the average values (for example, with a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs approximately on day 14, i.e. in the middle of the cycle). And how to determine the duration of pregnancy with an irregular cycle? In such cases, approximate values will not work.
The moment of the release of the oocyte ready for fertilization can be obtained by special tests, by basal temperature or by ultrasound. Some women determine ovulation by well-being (by the presence of pain sensations in the lower abdomen, heavy discharge from the genital organ, increased libido). If the date of ovulation (and, accordingly, the date of conception) is unknown, then use the method of determining the duration of pregnancy by the date of conception does not work, because the results will not be accurate.
3. How to determine the duration of pregnancy at the first stir?
The baby begins to move in the mother’s tummy, where the pregnancy is the first, from the 20th week. Repetitive representatives of the fair sex begin to feel a stir from the 18th week.
It is worth noting that with the help of this method it is not always possible to find out the exact date. Some women feel the first movements much earlier than the indicated weeks, and some vice versa later. Most doctors say that women often confuse the first movements with the "work" of the intestine, because it is known that many pregnant women suffer from increased gas formation.
4. How to determine the duration of pregnancy with a calculator?
To calculate the duration of pregnancy, you can use the calculator, which is presented below. The basis of his work based on the method of determining the period for the last month, which was described above. How to determine the duration of pregnancy on an online calculator? In order to use it, it is necessary to know the date of the beginning of the last menstruation, the average duration of the menstrual cycle and the luteal phase. The results of the calculation will be known immediately.
Summarizing all the above, I would like to note that many women are interested in the question of how to accurately determine the duration of pregnancy. However, in almost all the methods listed above, it may not be accurately calculated. The only exceptions are when a pregnant woman knows the exact day of ovulation. Do I need to know the exact exact term of an interesting situation? It is worth noting that it is not so important. Deviations of several days or a week will not play a big role, so do not be afraid if you do not know the exact day of ovulation and conception.
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The woman, having learned from the doctor about her desired pregnancy, will definitely want to find out the “age” of the future of the tiny one. There are several ways to determine the date of birth of the baby, both independently and with the help of specialists. How to calculate the duration of pregnancy, as well as the actual period differs from obstetric, try to tell in this article.
The obstetric period, which gynecologists put on the first visit to the future mom, is noticeably different from the real one, but represents the most accurate parameter. It is believed that pregnancy occurs at the time of the direct conception or fertilization of the mother egg. This usually happens in the period closer to the middle of the menstrual cycle, so if a woman knows the day when the egg comes out of the follicle and ovulation begins, then she will be able to accurately calculate the duration of pregnancy.
Basal temperature (BT)
To do this, every day, remaining in a horizontal position in bed, measure the temperature of the rectal method. After menstruation, in the period of 10-14 days, it most often does not exceed 37 degrees, and during and after ovulation, it can rise to 37.2-37.3 degrees. Conception day does not always coincide with the time of sexual intercourse. Sperm has the ability to maintain vitality from three to seven days in anticipation of the appearance of an egg from the ovary. And the life span of the mother cell itself is limited to 24 hours. Therefore, if sexual intercourse occurred 5-7 days earlier than ovulation occurred, then conception can occur 5-7 days later than coitus. Therefore, experts say that this method of calculation for determining the embryonic period is not entirely accurate. In addition, each woman, because of her individual characteristics: a certain menstrual cycle, the day of ovulation and the possibility of a repeated release of an egg from the ovaries, will have its own developmental period of the fetus, which cannot be determined one hundred percent.
In obstetric practice, the date of the first day of the last month is used. The error of this method is only 7-14 days. The obstetric term is calculated in two ways: by the first day of the last menstrual period, add 10 average menstrual cycles (28x10) or 280 days; in the second case, 3 months are subtracted from the same date and 7 days are added (Negele's formula). In the ideal case, when you precisely know the date of ovulation (12-16 days of the menstrual cycle), you can add 264 days.
Note! At the reception at the gynecologist, the future mom will recognize the obstetric period, as the remaining calculations are not taken into account by the doctors.
Ultrasound procedure
For many years, the method of ultrasound quite actively used in the diagnosis of fetal development. The most accurate gestational age is obtained through research conducted on the most early stage pregnancy - up to 8 weeks. The development of healthy embryos on these days is identical and it is possible to determine the gestation period up to a day by the size of the fetus. In the future, children begin to show their individuality, for any healthy fetus, minor deviations may appear (for example, growth is slightly below normal or the size of the head is slightly larger). If this difference is within the period of no more than 7-10 days, then doctors usually do not take this circumstance into account, if it is a period of two weeks or more, then doctors diagnose intrauterine growth retardation and recommend paying attention to a proper balanced diet. walks healthy way life that will help normalize the development of the embryo.
A gynecologist's consultation on the first day of delay for pregnancy is usually not needed, because the doctor cannot yet determine: the uterus is enlarged as a result of PMS or conception. The noticeable growth of this female organ in connection with pregnancy begins only at the end of the first trimester. In the second or third week of the delay of menstruation (for a period of 5-6 weeks), the uterus reaches the size of a chicken egg, at 8 weeks - a goose, at 10 - usually the size of a female fist.
HCG and gestational age
How to calculate the duration of pregnancy with chorionic gonadotropin? A blood test from a vein is ideally used not to determine the terms of an “interesting situation”, but for the early diagnosis of possible complications. In the second week, an approximate table of hCG values in the blood of a pregnant woman contains a parameter from 25 to 150 mU / ml, and in the eighth, up to 70 thousand mU / ml. Serious deviations from tabular values indicate a serious pathology, such as a frozen or ectopic pregnancy.
First movement of the fetus
Doctors say that, for the first time, pregnant women have a feeling of the inner presence of the baby at exactly 20 weeks of gestation, and again pregnant women - at 18 weeks. This date is an important step in the correct calculation of the duration of pregnancy. It is easy to notice the movement, especially when lying on your back.
Uterus length
Starting with the second trimester of pregnancy, gynecologists measure the length of the uterus of a patient lying on a couch with a centimeter tape. Have future mom every week the uterus adds about one centimeter. In addition, there are special tables that can be found in the manuals on gynecology and obstetrics.
Heart tones
The embryo's heart begins to beat already for a period of four and a half weeks (or 2-3 weeks after the delay of menstruation in a woman). This is noticeable in the early studies of the ultrasound machine. Through the obstetric stethoscope, the fetal heartbeat is heard much later, approximately after the date of the beginning of the movement of the future crumbs. Bad hearing can be triggered by a placenta located closer to the anterior wall of the uterus or by significant abdominal fat deposits.
No matter how hard you try to correctly calculate the gestation period before the day, this is most likely not likely to succeed. This can only be done presumably. Your baby will appear on this world only according to the laws of Mother Nature when it is ready for it. Good luck to you in this difficult and noble cause!
Video
You can learn more about calculating the pregnancy period from the following video:
In our time, the development of the medical industry and technology makes it possible to make accurate diagnostics and forecasts regarding the state of human health. This fully applies to the course of pregnancy. If earlier no one could predict the date of birth, the sex of the child, today it is quite normal. Today, even the gestational age can be determined in several ways and even without medical participation. We learn about this in detail.
What you need to know the duration of pregnancy
If we talk about how to determine the duration of pregnancy, some can be called not very accurate, but convenient and accessible to most women, while others, more accurate, require special diagnostic examinations.
All of these methods for determining the period serve the same goal - competent observation of the course of pregnancy, fetal development. Knowing the exact number of weeks of pregnancy makes it possible to diagnose in time the pathologies of the future child’s development (for example, Down syndrome), deviations from the norm and precisely determine the date of the future birth. When the doctor knows the duration of pregnancy, with the help you can compare the generally accepted indicators and characteristics of the development of the fetus with a specific pregnancy. So, consider how to determine the duration of pregnancy with their advantages and disadvantages.
Determine the duration of pregnancy by conception
Conception of a child is a fusion of an egg cell and a sperm cell that occurs during a day or two after ovulation. Some ladies feel it for certain symptoms, others acquire special tests to detect it, and still others measure their own. Therefore, the category of women who feel the onset of ovulation and know the day of conception, the easiest way to determine the duration of pregnancy.
But even if you accurately calculate the day of conception (if the sexual intercourse was once), gynecologists for a number of reasons put the gestation period more than 2 weeks. Pregnant women consider this a sign of carrying a large child. Unfortunately, in the first weeks the sizes of embryos are almost the same. Doctors simply state the period of gestation. According to it, and calculate the date of the future birth. Therefore, knowing your pregnancy by the day of conception is interesting to the most pregnant, and not to her doctor.
By the way, some expectant mothers keep their calendar of dates until the end of pregnancy. Then it will be just interesting to compare him and the medical term, to determine whose was more accurate.
Determine the duration of pregnancy at the first stirring
The first stirring of the unborn child is an important parameter of the course of pregnancy. After all, doctors, as a rule, record the future term of labor, depending on the indications of ultrasound in the first trimester and on the day of the baby. Women who give birth for the first time, feel such movements in the twentieth week of pregnancy, and those who multiply a little earlier - at week 18.
Determine the period of pregnancy on a medical examination
When a pregnant woman comes to the antenatal clinic for the first time, the gynecologist will definitely examine her on the chair. Gynecological examination helps in identifying existing problems and determining the duration of pregnancy. Good doctors quite accurately can (up to half a week), as well as the location of the fetus (meaning it is likely to be outside the uterus).
You should know that the gynecological examination of a pregnant woman with a delay of 3-4 weeks, that is, for a period of 5-6 weeks, states a slightly enlarged uterus. Its size is about the same as chicken eggs. And for a period of 8 weeks, the uterus is the size of a goose egg. Approximately in the female fist, it is about 10 weeks pregnant. Without any problems, the gynecologist determines the size of the uterus after 12-14 weeks of pregnancy. We are talking about the length of the uterus when viewed from a pregnant woman on the couch. In this case, the doctor uses a centimeter tape.
Determine the duration of pregnancy by monthly
Determination of gestational age by month is called obstetric. How is it calculated?
It is not difficult, because the period of ovulation in this case is not taken into account. Not important and the duration of the menstruation. The physician needs to know the date of the first day of the last menstruation of a pregnant woman. It is from this day that the doctor begins to count the duration of pregnancy. That is, if you applied to the antenatal clinic one week after the delay and you are sure that your pregnancy is 3 weeks, then the gynecologist will give you a period of 5 weeks.
To determine the duration of pregnancy by ultrasound
Traditionally, the first woman ultrasound is prescribed at 12-14 weeks of pregnancy. But on this estimated date it is problematic to establish its accuracy. After all, the embryos of all future mothers develop the same only in the first weeks after conception. Then the doctor is able to determine the period to within one day, to clarify the position of the child in the absence of a heartbeat. And if the ultrasound shows any abnormalities, then re-study is prescribed after a week or ten days to accurately determine the abnormalities and exclude frozen pregnancy.
That is, it is possible to determine the duration of pregnancy by ultrasound only on early terms. During the next two planned ultrasounds, the doctor will set the duration of the pregnancy in accordance with the parameters of the body parts of the future child, his head. However, we should not forget that the second half of pregnancy is a purely individual development of babies. After all, it is considered normal to give birth to girls and boys weighing 2,800 g and 4,000 g.
Determine the duration of gestational pregnancy
Recall that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is one of the most important indicators of the presence of pregnancy, its normal development. HCG is a hormone that is produced in the body of a pregnant woman after the introduction gestational egg into the wall of the uterus, that is, after the implantation of the embryo. This happens already on the sixth or eighth day after the fertilization of the female egg. It is the presence in the blood and urine of this hormone is the basis of pregnancy testing. Traditional tests that are sold in a pharmacy, determine the presence of this hormone in two stripes.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, this hormone stimulates the production of progesterone and estrogen. These two female hormones are necessary to maintain the normal course of pregnancy.
You should know that in the first weeks of the level of human chorionic gonadotropin doubles approximately every 2-3 days. Its increase by 60 percent over two days is considered to be the norm. With the increase in gestational age, the increase in hCG levels decreases. Namely, when the period of 8-9 weeks of pregnancy, the indicator of the level of human chorionic gonadotropin ceases to grow. On the contrary, it begins to decline at a slow pace.
By the way, when multiple pregnancy women the level of this hormone increases in accordance with the number of fruits. That is, if there are three fruits, then the level of hCG is three times higher than normal. It is the standard, generally accepted norms of this hormone at different stages of pregnancy are the main determinants of this period.
It should be borne in mind that the duration of pregnancy in terms of hCG does not coincide with obstetric calculations. Why is this happening? The fact is that by human chorionic gonadotropin gestational age is stated relative to the day of conception of the child. He, in fact, displays the age of the future baby. But the obstetric term of pregnancy is determined by the doctor regarding the date of the last menstrual period and is not related to the term of conception of the child.
So, the above methods can accurately determine the duration of pregnancy. However, it is recommended to take into account the fact that with the most correct calculations, your baby can be born even earlier than this period, and later. Therefore, the main task of the future mother is to do everything in her power for a healthy pregnancy and the emergence of a daughter or son.
Especially for Elena TOLOCHIK