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How do I Calculate my Pregnancy Due Date?
Maria Gonzalez



You're pregnant! The next question is: When is the baby due?
Calculating the pregnancy due date is not complicated. There are
several methods to calculate your estimated due date, but we all
know that babies have their own timetables and most don't arrive
on the estimated due date.


The age of the developing baby is called the "gestational age."
Since the exact date of conception is seldom known, the date of
the mother's last period is often used to begin calculating when
the baby is due. The normal due date is 40 weeks after the first
day of the last menstrual period


Another way to calculate the pregnancy due date is from
conception, if known. Since ovulation and conception usually
occur two weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period,
the pregnancy due date is 38 weeks from conception.


Probably the most accurate way to confirm the baby's gestational
age and calculate the due date is by confirming one of the above
methods with an ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to measure the
baby, and these measurements are used to calculate gestational
age. This test is non-invasive and can be performed as early as
5-6 weeks after the last menstrual period. The most accurate
results are obtained between 8-18 weeks from the beginning of the
last menstrual period. The results of the ultrasound, combined
with the calculated date from the first day of the last period,
provide a relatively firm due date.


Women whose periods are irregular encounter difficulty using the
first day of the last period or conception methods and usually
must rely on the ultrasound examination. However, if the baby is
unusually large or small, even the ultrasound may not provide
enough information to estimate the due date.


Maria writes for Pregnancy Due Date, a site that tries to
information for expectant mothers. For more great pregnancy
articles, visit our Pregnancy articles archive.
www.pregnancy-due-date.com


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