Use An Online Due Date Calculator
If youve just discovered youre pregnant and want to know how many weeks pregnant you are you can use an online tool to figure it out. You will need to know the start date of your last regular period and have a rough idea of how long your average cycle is.
If youre using this online due date calculator, youll put in the calculation method , the start date of your last period , and input your cycle length.
So, for instance, if your average cycle is 28 days, and the first day of your last regular period was May 18, 2022, youll be told that youre 5 weeks pregnant if your cycle is about 21 days, youll be told youre 6 weeks pregnant. If you dont know how long your average cycle is, the calculator will average it out for a more exact number, get an ultrasound done.
Youve Just Started Menstruating
Young women who have only had a few periods may not have regular cycles at first. It can take a few months for cycles to become regular. This is also true if you have just come off of birth control medication that stopped menstrual periods. It makes take a little while for you to get a period every month again.
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Missed Period Or Spotting
If you have regular menstrual cycles in the past and do not experience any major change in the regular life routine such as sudden increase in your stress level, long-distance travel or consumption of large unhealthy food, then a missed period is very likely to be an unmistakable sign that you are pregnant.
Spotting or very light bleeding is also an important Symptom of pregnancy. Women are advised to confirm whether they are pregnant immediately if they see spotting. Once pregnancy is confirmed, pregnant women should seek doctors’ help immediately as spotting or very light bleeding may be a sign of miscarriage and it is therefore important to seek professional help immediately.
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Not Your Average Nipples
Another kind of wacky but surer sign of pregnancy is the way your nipples look. If youre pregnant, they tend to stick out more and the areola around the nipple will appear larger.
During pregnancy, your nipples also darken due to hormonal fluctuations, and small glands called Montgomerys tubercles may form raised bumps on the surface of your areolas. Your nipples know more than youd think.
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How Do I Use A Home Pregnancy Test
All home pregnancy tests come with written instructions. Depending on the brand you buy, the instructions may vary:
- You hold a stick in your urine stream.
- You pee into a cup and dip the stick into it.
- You pee into a cup and then use a dropper to put a few drops of the urine into a special container.
Different brands tell you to wait different amounts of time, although most are around 2 minutes. Depending on the brand of the test, you may see a line or a plus symbol, or the words pregnant or not pregnant. A line or plus symbol, no matter how faint, means the result is positive.
Most tests also have a control indicator in the result window. This control line or symbol shows whether the test is working properly. If the control line or symbol does not appear, the test is not working properly.
Look for the toll-free phone number on the package to call in case of questions about use or results.
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Why You Might Experience A Period During Your First Trimester
Though people stop getting their period during pregnancy, its possible that they may still experience some bleeding. This bleeding does not necessarily indicate an underlying issue, but its important to understand the cause of it and whether its time to see a health care provider.
Bleeding tends to occur more often during the first trimester of pregnancy than the second or third. Estimates suggest that about 25 to 30 percent of pregnant people experience spotting at some point during their first trimester. There are a number of reasons for this bleeding.
Implantation bleeding: This refers to the light spotting that occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception, around the time when your period is due. Many people havent yet taken a pregnancy test at this point, so its easy to mistake the spotting for a period. This bleeding is lighter than a normal period, however, and only lasts for a couple of days. It occurs due to the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine lining.
Cervical changes: Spotting can occur shortly after you get pregnant due to cervical changes, and particularly after having sexual intercourse. As long as no infection is present, theres no need to be concerned about this.
Other causes: Heavier bleeding that more closely resembles a period during the first trimester of pregnancy can indicate something more serious, including:
- Uncontrollable vomiting and nausea
How Does The Online Pregnancy Test Am I Pregnant Quiz Work
The MomJunction online pregnancy test is designed with a set of questions that are based on the ovulation cycle, the number of times you have had intercourse, type of birth control methods you were using, and symptoms you are experiencing. We have also included questions about basal temperature and implantation. The results will depend on the answers you choose.
Whether or not you get a positive result in this quiz, you should get a pregnancy test done or visit a doctor if you miss your period.
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Reasons For Missed Periods
There are many reasons why you may have missed your period. Some women miss periods regularly because they don’t ovulate regularly. You might also miss a period if you have a change in your sleep patterns, for example, or if you start working night shifts which can throw your cycles out of whack as your body learns to adjust to it.
You can also miss your period if your weight is too low. After a certain amount of body fat, you may not have the hormone production to sustain your periods. This is often true if you’re a very competitive athlete or suffer from disordered eating like anorexia or even bulimia.
Sometimes stress can be a reason that your period is missing. This can usually be determined easily by a discussion with your doctor.
Early Pregnancy Symptoms: How To Tell Before A Missed Period
Pregnancy symptoms are really similar to those of PMS on paper, but there are a few clues your body gives you if you listen.
Jessica Rendall
Jessica is a Wellness News Writer who wants to help people stay informed about their health. She’s from the Midwest, studied investigative reporting at the Missouri School of Journalism and is now based in NYC.
Your menstrual cycle is your body’s way of preparing a nourishing environment for a pregnancy by building up a uterine lining. So you won’t get your period if you’re pregnant. This is true even if you’re taking birth control pills that stop ovulation and mimic the natural menstrual cycle with a monthly bleed.
But while a missed period is many people’s first signal that they’re pregnant, it often isn’t the first clue your body gives you.
In the first weeks of pregnancy , the body starts producing a lot of hormones that can affect you physically and mentally. In addition to amping up its regular production of progesterone and estrogen, your body starts producing new hormones, including human placental lactogen and human chorionic gonadotropin .
While your body is in hormonal overdrive during early pregnancy, you may feel some side effects. But if hormones are to blame, how do you tell if it’s PMS, ovulation symptoms or something else completely? Below, we outline some signals you might notice from your body during early pregnancy, before you even take a pregnancy test.
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Things That Delay Your Period
A missed period is often the first sign of pregnancy, but there are other reasons for lateness, too. Here are some other factors that can delay your monthly flow:
Extreme diet and exercise
A healthy diet and regular exercise can do wonders for your health. But if you overdo it, you might say bye-bye to your periods, at least temporarily.
Athletes who train really hard or who dont get enough calories may stop menstruating, Dr. Higgins says. Its the bodys way of telling you that it doesnt have enough resources to support a pregnancy.
When your periods stop due to weight loss, diet or exercise, youre experiencing secondary amenorrhea. This means you previously had periods, but they have stopped. Secondary amenorrhea might happen to you if you:
- Eat an extreme, calorie-restricted diet.
- Have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia.
- Lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.
- Undergo hardcore exercise training, such as for a .
Polycystic ovary syndrome
PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that interferes with the release of an egg . When you dont ovulate, you usually dont have a period. Many people with PCOS have irregular, late or missing periods. Other symptoms of PCOS include:
- Excess facial or body hair.
- Weight gain or trouble losing weight.
Doctors diagnose PCOS by checking your symptoms and performing medical tests when needed. Medication and lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms.
Stress
Some examples of major stress include:
Youth
Food Cravings And Aversions
PMS: When you have PMS, youll likely notice that your eating habits change. You may crave chocolate, carbohydrates, sugars, sweets, or salty foods. Or you may have a ravenous appetite. These cravings dont happen to the same extent when youre pregnant.
Pregnancy: You may have highly specific cravings, and you may be totally uninterested in other foods. You may also have an aversion to certain smells and tastes, even ones you once liked. These effects can last throughout pregnancy.
You could also have pica, in which you compulsively eat items that have no nutritional value, such as ice, dirt, dried paint flakes, or pieces of metal. If you have cravings for nonfood items, talk to your doctor right away.
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How Can I Calculate Important Week
This pregnancy calculator helps you find out exactly how many weeks pregnant you are right now, details your babys 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 Accurate Is This Pregnancy Calculator
It is important to remember that this pregnancy calculator is meant to be a bit of fun and the results contain guesswork . Assuming it will be born naturally, theres obviously no way of knowing for certain when your baby will arrive. It is worth noting that only 5-7% of babies arrive on their due date. The vast majority are born two weeks either side. This calculator, as with all due date calculators, should be used only as a guide, to give you a little help with planning for your babys arrival.
At the point of 42 weeks, births are commonly considered post-term. If you reach this point, your hospital will likely induce labour for the safety of the baby. You can learn more about this and about due dates in this article by the Essential Parent website .
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When Would Pregnancy Begin
Here are some early pregnancy symptoms that are different from signs of PMS:
- Menstrual bleeding is heavier than pregnancy-related spotting.
- Fatigue from PMS usually goes away, for the most part, once the bleeding starts.
- Nausea is a common pregnancy symptom, but not so much with PMS.
- Food cravings or aversions are more intense with pregnancy.
- Cramps can be intense before menstruation but are milder in the early stages of pregnancy.
Youre Regularly Becoming Nauseous
We arenât talking about that nasty feeling you get after a greasy meal but chronic bloating and/or a recurring upset stomach. Nausea during pregnancy, often referred to as âmorning sickness,â usually starts around a month after you become pregnant. You may also develop intense desires for particular kinds of foods or suddenly become averse to foods youâve historically enjoyed. This nausea may or may not involve vomiting, so itâs important to note both kinds. If youâve been sick to your stomach for several days or nights and you arenât sick, pregnancy could be the reason.
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What Are The Symptoms Or Signs Of Pregnancy
What the patient has been describing are all the symptoms typical of the first weeks of pregnancy, which are summarised here:
- Breast pain and tenderness. The breasts are lumpier, more sensitive, and sometimes they even hurt when they touch the bra. This can also be PMS.
- Abdominal pain. Increased gas may accentuate the abdominal discomfort of pregnancy. The patient may confuse this with colicky pain from her period. Abdominal pain during pregnancy is more intense at the end of the day and is difficult to relieve.
- Irritability and sleepiness. These two symptoms can also occur in PMS, but are usually not as marked.
- Sensation of nausea and vomiting. Stomach discomfort can translate into feelings of nausea, even vomiting, and certain smells or tastes can become unbearable even though they were not before the pregnancy.
- Constipation and bloating. Increased progesterone is also associated with a slowing of bowel movements, which can lead to pronounced constipation and increased flatulence. Gas may aggravate the mother-to-be’s feeling of nausea and gastric distress.
- More migraines. Some women who suffer from migraines may also be more affected during this stage of pregnancy, mainly due to the high levels of progesterone circulating in their bodies.
What To Do If You’re Bleeding Or Spotting During Pregnancy
- Fever or chills
- Signs of preterm labor, such as your water breaking
Go to the nearest emergency room if your doctor’s office is closed and you can’t reach your provider. If they determine your bleeding isn’t serious, potential treatments may include things like relaxing and avoiding sex, travel, and rigorous exercise. It’s important that you follow your provider’s recommendations, to keep both yourself and your baby healthy.
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Am I Pregnant Or Am I About To Start My Period
Symptoms of pregnancy and an impending period can be hard to tell apart since they can be very similar: mood swings, abdominal cramping, backaches, breast tenderness, headaches, and food cravings. There are a couple of symptoms that are more often related to pregnancy than to a menstrual period: nausea/vomiting and implantation bleeding. Keep in mind that not all women will experience these.
When a fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine lining around 6-12 days after fertilization, some women will experience 1-3 days of light spotting, which we call implantation bleeding. This typically happens right around or before the time a woman is expecting her period.
Nausea that happens right near when a woman expects her period is more likely due to early pregnancy than due to a menstrual period. Many people will refer to this as morning sickness, even though it can happen at any time of day. Wait, and if you dont end up having a normal period when you expect it, it may be time to take a pregnancy test.
What Is Implantation
Maybe you remember the word implantation from your high school sex ed classes years ago but are a little fuzzy on what it means now. Implantation refers to the fertilized egg burrowing into the uterine lining, where it can safely grow, about 7-10 days post-fertilization.
Through a complex system of hormonal signals between the female reproductive system and the brain, the body cyclically grows the uterine lining that would be needed to support a pregnancy. When youre not pregnant and are on your period, youre shedding the uterine lining that your body had prepared for the fertilized egg.
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When To See Your Gp
See your GP if youâre not pregnant youâve had a negative pregnancy test and youâve missed more than 3 periods in a row.
If youâre sexually active and you have not taken a pregnancy test, your GP may advise you to take one.
They may also ask you about:
- your medical history
- any emotional issues youâre having
- any recent changes in your weight
- the amount of exercise you do
Your GP may recommend waiting to see whether your periods return on their own. In some cases you may need treatment for your periods to return.
You should also see your GP if your periods stop before youâre 45 or if youâre still bleeding when youâre over 55.
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What Exactly Is The Date Of Conception
The date of conception is the day that the egg and sperm meet.
Women who track their ovulation may know their exact date of conception. But for many women, date of conception can be tricky to pinpoint.
Sperm can live in a womans body for up to five days, and the ovum can live for up to 24 hours after being released. In other words, you have a six-day window where you could potentially get pregnant each month.
Do you already know your due date but want to know when you likely conceived? Try our reverse due date calculator.
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