What Is My Due Date
Your due date, also known as your estimated date of delivery, is the approximate date your labor might begin. Your estimated due date is commonly calculated by adding 280 days to the date of the first day of your last period, using Naegeles rule. This may vary if you have irregular periods.
It’s worth noting that although predicted due dates are commonly calculated at 280 days, a baby is born on its predicted due date just 5% of the time. 2 A 2020 study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology suggests a number of factors that can influence the length of your pregnancy, including ethnicity, height, variations in the menstrual cycle, the timing of ovulation, parity and maternal weight. It is for this reason that calculations using Naegeles rule can be considered as an estimate and not a definitive date. 3
The Thirtieth Week Of Pregnancy: He Keeps His Eyes Open
At this stage, the fetus’ eyes are open most of the time. He is even able to see, but his vision remains limited. He can see 20 to 30 cm in front of him. He also perceives noises and voices.
The baby’s organs are almost fully formed, except for the kidneys and lungs, which take a bit longer. This is his third pair of kidneys! At the embryonic stage, he has already had two other pairs of kidneys that have disappeared to make way for this new pair, the one he will have for life.
Brain structures are getting stronger. The sheath surrounding the nerve fibers continues to grow and this growth will continue intensively during the first years of the baby’s life. You will see this through the development of skills such as walking, language, and potty training.
The bone marrow has taken over the liver and spleen to produce red blood cells.
His growth slows down a bit, but he continues to gain weight.
Twenty-eight weeks after fertilization, the fetus measures about 27 cm from the head to the coccyx and weighs nearly 1.3 kilograms. He begins to feel a bit cramped in the womb.
How Accurate Are Due Dates
No estimated due date is ever 100% accurate, and even ultrasound scans arent entirely accurate. However, the ACOG notes that the most accurate method of confirming gestational age is an ultrasound measurement of the fetus or embryo in the first trimester, citing an accuracy of +5-7 days.
Find a Pediatrician Near You
Zocdoc helps you find and book top-rated doctors, on demand. Visit them in their offices, or video chat with them from home. Check out the Pediatricians in your area.
Recommended Reading: Can You Bleed Too Much On Your Period
Why Is It Important To Calculate My Due Date
Its important to know your due date for planning purposes knowing your expected delivery date helps you prepare to welcome your baby. Youll have time to pack for the hospital and get the things you need for the baby, like a car seat. If you have other children, counting down the days until the new baby arrives can help siblings prepare for a new family member.
Knowing when youre due also allows you to get appropriate prenatal care. This includes taking prenatal vitamins and getting prenatal screenings at the right times during your pregnancy. Your provider will also measure your babys size and position throughout your pregnancy to ensure that your baby is growing properly.
Average Length Of Pregnancy
While 40 weeks is the average, its not unusual to deliver your baby earlier or later. In the past, 37 weeks was considered to be a full-term pregnancy. This definition carried implications on as two when it would be safe to induce labor or schedule a cesarean section.
However, we now know that being born at 37 weeks can increase health risks. Its not nearly as risky as being born before 37 weeks, but its not ideal either.
In response, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has created new definitions to describe the timing of labor:
Don’t Miss: How Do You Know You Got Your Period
Due Date Based On Ivf Transfer
If your pregnancy is the result of a successful in-vitro fertilization procedurein which eggs are extracted and fertilized with sperm, with the resulting embryo later transferred to the uterusyou can calculate your estimated due date based on the timeline of the procedure.
- IVF day 3 transfer: If your embryo was transferred to your uterus after three days of embryo growth, this method calculates your estimated due date based on 263 days from your date of transfer.
- IVF day 5 transfer: If your embryo was transferred to your uterus after five days of embryo growth, this method calculates your estimated due date based on 261 days from your date of transfer.
Calculating Your Due Date Using A Calendar
You can calculate your due date without using a due date calculator. Count 280 days, or 40 weeks, from the first day of your last menstrual period the date you end up with is your estimated due date.
Calculate Due Date by Counting Days:
LMP = First day of the Last Menstrual PeriodEDD = Estimated Due Date
Calculating EDD Example:
The due date will always be the same day of the week as the day your last menstrual period started. In the example above, the first day of the LMP and the EDD are both Thursdays.
Once you have calculated your EDD, check your results by going to our due date calculator where you will also find additional information about your due date.
You May Like: Period Every 6 Weeks When Do I Ovulate
Is Ultrasound More Accurate For Calculating The Date Of Delivery
An ultrasound done in early pregnancy would be more accurate than the first day of the last menstrual period to determine the due date. This is especially true if the ultrasound is performed between 8 and 16 weeks of pregnancy. The gynecologist then measures the height of the baby, from the top of his head to the buttocks. As babies develop very similarly in early pregnancy, it is then possible to make a connection between this measure and the duration of the pregnancy. The accuracy of this measurement may, however, vary from ultrasound to ultrasound.
If the date calculated using Naegele’s rule differs from that determined by ultrasound by more than 7 days, the physician may choose to change the expected date of delivery to reflect the outcome of the first-trimester ultrasound. If the ultrasound is performed between 12 and 20 weeks, the difference should be more than 10 days for the doctor to consider changing the date.
How To Calculate Your Pregnancy Week
To calculate your pregnancy week, you must count the weeks that have elapsed since the supposed day of fertilization. If you have very regular 28-day cycles, your ovulation usually occurs on the 14th day after your period begins. Your fertility period then extends between the 10th and 15th day of the cycle .
You can refine the result depending on the date of your intercourse, but in practice, determining the exact date of fertilization is impossible for most women as they don’t know the day of their ovulation. That’s why doctors usually prefer to calculate weeks of amenorrhea: just count the weeks since the first day of your last period. This date is much easier to know than your ovulation!
Don’t Miss: 7 Days Late Period No Pregnancy Symptoms
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.
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.
Also Check: Missed My Period But Not Pregnant
Embryo And Foetal Development: 3rd Trimester
The baby is still growing. He is wide awake and reacts to noises and caresses on his stomach. He’s preparing for the big day. His lungs continue to grow to be ready to take their first breath of air at birth. In the long term, he will weigh 3 to 4 kilograms and measure nearly 50 cm. Here are the last steps of his development.
Role Of Fundal Height
Your midwife or doctor may measure your fundal height at your pregnancy well-checks. The fundal height is the measurement in centimeters from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. It should grow at a predictable rate as your pregnancy continues.
After 20 weeks, your fundal height in centimeters will typically be the same as the number of weeks you are pregnant. In other words, at 21 weeks pregnant, your fundal height should be around 21 centimeters .
Sometimes, the fundal height won’t match perfectly. Slight variations are normal, but if you are measuring much smaller or larger than expected, your primary care provider may want to investigate with another ultrasound.
While useful, the fundal height is not an accurate measurement of gestational age and would not affect the estimated due date in any way.
You May Like: Period Before Or After Quotation Marks
What Is Gestational Age Can It Be Different Than What The Calculator Shows
Gestational age is the term used to describe how far along the pregnancy is and how long baby has been gestating .
If you get an ultrasound you may notice a GA on the image with a number of weeks and days. This figure is based on how the baby is measuring, not on your LMP, which the due date calculator uses.
Its normal for these dates to not match up perfectly. If there are significant differences in the dates, your doctor may want to dig deeper to determine conception date. As a result, your midwife or doctor may change your due date based on the ultrasound gestational age.
Early ultrasounds are very accurate when dating a pregnancy and can be helpful if you dont know your LMP or your periods are irregular.
Note that you dont have to have an early ultrasound, especially if you are fairly certain of your cycle length and conception window. This study shows that early dating ultrasounds dont change the incidence of induction.
Disclaimer About The Calculator
Our calculator strives for the highest accuracy, but your pregnancy progress may differ from the calculator’s results for several reasons including possible miscalculation errors in input data individual variations in the timing of ovulation, and/or conception.
The information provided regarding pregnancy progress and fetal development is a guide through the weeks. It is not specific information for a specific individual but serves as a general guide only. As each pregnancy differs, any dates, weights, and lengths should be considered general information for interest only.
Our week-by-week guides use both standard and metric units of measure including pounds and kilograms.
Don’t Miss: What Are The Chances Of Getting Pregnant On Your Period
What Is Naegele’s Rule
For example, if the first day of your last period was August 11, 2021, you would:
- Add 1 year
- Add 7 days
- Move the date back 3 months
- Your due date would be May 18, 2020.
If your fertility app gives you a different date than the one calculated by your doctor, it most likely because it was based on the ovulation date and not the date of your last period. If you ovulated earlier or later than day 14 of your cycle, this would shift your due date accordingly.
What Is The Difference Between Weeks Of Pregnancy And Weeks Of Amenorrhea
There are two main methods to estimate the progress of your pregnancy: the calculation of pregnancy weeks or the calculation of amenorrhea weeks. By pregnancy week, we mean “actual pregnancy week”: i.e. the calculation begins on the day of fertilization. Amenorrhea weeks count the number of weeks without a menstrual period, so from the first day of your last menstrual period.
This difference between the calculation methods results in a two-week difference. In total, a “normal” pregnancy of 9 months is equivalent to 39 weeks of pregnancy or 41 weeks of amenorrhea. Useful information to determine your due date!
Don’t Miss: My Period Only Lasted 3 Days Could I Be Pregnant
How Does Carrying Multiples Affect My Due Date
Expecting twins or triplets is different than expecting one baby in many ways, including the due date. If youre pregnant with multiples, your doctor will use your last menstrual period and an ultrasound to determine your due date. However, every pregnancy is unique and your doctor may recommend delivery prior to the estimated due date. Talk to your provider about when you can expect to deliver twins or triplets.
Actual Length Of Pregnancy
The actual length of pregnancy varies significantly among women. Just 4% of babies are born on their estimated due date, while 70% are born within ten days. The remaining 30% are born more than ten days before the due date or more than ten days after.
The reference above provides a delivery birth range of 38 weeks and four days to 41 weeks and three days with a probability of 70%.
You May Like: Can I Go Swimming On My Period Without Anything
How Accurate Is The Due Date
The pregnancy calculator gives you an approximate due date, which it works out your due date by adding 280 days to the first day of your last menstrual period . Your period and ovulation are counted as the first two weeks of pregnancy. If you have the baby on your due date, your baby has been growing for 38 weeks, not 40, but you are still classed as 40 weeks pregnant.
How Accurate Is The Chinese Gender Predictor Chart
Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health did a study to test the Chinese lunar calendar method of predicting a baby’s sex. They reviewed the records of 2.8 million Swedish births. Then they used a website-customized algorithm to estimate each mother’s lunar age and month of conception. When they checked the predictions of the Chinese baby calendar method against the sex of the children who were born, they concluded that the Chinese birth chart was correct about 50 percent of the time — no more accurate than flipping a coin.
Also Check: How Do You Know When Your On Your Period
How To Calculate The Date Of Birth From The Date Of Conception
The beginning of pregnancy is the day the egg was fertilized by the sperm. You may know this day, especially if you have very regular menstrual cycles and know your ovulation date.In this case, count 266 days from the date of conception to know your due date. If necessary, the doctor can also determine the date of conception with sufficient precision using the evolution of the fetus .
Due Date Based On Conception
This method calculates your due date based on the date of conception by assuming a gestation period of 38 weeks from the date of conception.
Now, Kelly Culwell, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist and Forbes Health Advisory Board member, notes that the date of conception isnt always a reliable method for determining your estimated due date. Its often incorrectly estimated due to date of intercourse, which can be several days off from actual date of conception based on the sperms ability to survive for five days in the reproductive tract, she says.
You May Like: Is It Possible To Be Pregnant And Have A Period