Knowing the exact due date is important for every pregnant woman, because it is better to go to the maternity hospital in advance, on your own, and not at the emergency room. Today we will figure out why all children are born at different times and how to determine your gestational age.
The timing of birth depends on various reasons: is there a norm?
Gynecologists claim that there is no standard period for normal childbirth - there are conditional frameworks. Normal birth can occur at 37 or 44 weeks. It is generally typical for twins to be born at 36-37 weeks, and women with a long monthly cycle have every chance of giving birth after 42 weeks.
You need to understand that if a child was born normally developed at any stage, this is the norm. In case of deviations in development and health due to the timing of birth, children are divided into premature and post-term.
- Babies with low weight, height, and poor development of organs and body are called premature. Their mothers carried them for less than 37 weeks - until the 260th day of pregnancy, so the babies were not able to achieve the required parameters. According to statistics, 20% of children are born premature.
- Post-term babies are born after 42-44 weeks - during the period 294-308 days of pregnancy. Don’t think that if you carry your baby to term you will give birth to a giant. On the contrary, there are signs of a post-term baby: thinness, dry, wrinkled skin, weak muscles. The reason for this condition is the aging and death of the placenta, through which nutrients were supplied. Approximately 10% of mothers undergo nursing.
From all of the above it follows that it is better to give birth at 37-42 weeks. Knowing exactly when this moment should come, it is easy to navigate during premature contractions or when you are postmaturity.
Will doctors help if the due date is delayed?
Of course yes! If you notice signs of impending premature birth, you can contact a gynecologist and he will take action. If there is a threat of premature birth, bed rest and various medications are prescribed to relieve contractions and relax the uterus.
In case of postmaturity, at 40 obstetric weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother is placed in the maternity hospital for observation. Examinations and stimulation with a drug that causes contractions speed up the process. If necessary, the doctor can open the amniotic sac, after which labor either begins or a cesarean section is performed. After the water breaks, the baby will appear no later than 12 hours later.
If the due date has nevertheless moved forward, do not despair, now both significantly premature babies and “slightly” post-term babies are being cared for. The most dangerous condition is significant postmaturity of the fetus - the baby may be born dead or with serious pathologies - every second post-term baby shows signs of suffocation, hemolytic jaundice, damage to areas of the brain caused by oxygen starvation, etc.
How to calculate due date in gynecology
The obstetric gestational age begins on the first day of your last period. It sounds a little strange, since at this time there is no child yet, but it is more convenient for doctors. In addition, pregnancy dates begin to be counted from the day of conception, which is usually considered the day of ovulation. Normally, ovulation occurs two weeks after the first day of the last menstruation.
This is where the problems with calculations begin. maybe two in a month, maybe it will move in the opposite direction. and ovulation can specifically occur due to classic stress, taking certain medications, inflammation in the reproductive organs, and other reasons. For some women, conception is delayed and can happen right on the “safe” day - just before menstruation. For others, menstruation, on the contrary, can continue even after pregnancy. In these cases, it will be more difficult to determine the timing.
Initially, the gynecologist sets the period based on a survey of the patient and data from a gynecological examination. By palpating the uterus, the doctor determines its size, which corresponds to the period of pregnancy. The estimated duration of pregnancy, for example 6-7 weeks, is recorded on the card; this indicator serves as the starting point for calculating the date of birth.
Formula for calculating due date
You can calculate the preliminary date of birth (the due date is abbreviated as PDD) using a simple formula. It is also used by obstetricians.
To calculate pregnancy, the date of the first day of the last menstruation is taken as the basis. Childbirth should take place after 40 obstetric weeks, which is. 280 days.
Formula for calculating the day of birth: From the first day of the last menstruation, subtract 3 months, add 7 days to the result.
Example: The last period began on September 5th, counting back 3 months, we get June 5th. Adding 7 days, we get the deadline for June 12th.
Online due date calculator: find out when you can give birth right now
- Estimated date of conception.
- Timing of important stages of pregnancy development.
- Current gestational age.
- Due date (date) of birth.
- Zodiac sign of the newborn.
It is worth understanding that this method cannot guarantee an accurate result, because an online calculator is just a set of formulas designed for a standard situation. Therefore, you can only find out the due date in this way approximately.
How to accurately determine the due date - ultrasound of the fetus and no amateur activities!
The most reliable method for determining the due date is an ultrasound examination of the fetus, called pregnancy screening. The ultrasound specialist, based on the readings of the device, compares the size of the fetus with the standard and makes a verdict - the gestational age and the date of the PDR (preliminary date of birth). Or rather, this way you can very accurately determine the duration of pregnancy, and the date of birth will be estimated, since, as we noted above, it depends on many factors.
It is not for nothing that there is a proverb among pregnant women: “PDR was invented by the enemy,” since the coincidence of birth with the date set by the specialist does not always happen.
Causes of premature and delayed births:
- Body parameters of a pregnant woman. State of health, structure and condition of the uterus.
- Hormonal balance(labor activity begins under the influence of a hormone that stimulates uterine contractions).
- Fetal parameters. Development depends on the quality of blood supply, genetic characteristics, location, etc.
- Presence of dangerous infections. A number of infectious diseases can cause premature birth.
- Injuries, stress and other factors.
Symptoms of delayed delivery
It’s quite easy to understand that something is wrong; the following symptoms correspond to premature birth:
- Premature birth begins with aching in the abdomen, the appearance of discharge, and increased fetal activity. The stomach may not hurt - you will feel a slight “stretching” in the back. The water may break and a large amount of liquid will leak out. All these signs are 3 reasons to call an ambulance.
- With true post-maturity, the belly and weight decrease. Milk may appear in the breasts instead of colostrum. And with an ultrasound, doctors will determine whether the baby is suffering from lack of nutrition or whether you simply have a prolonged pregnancy.
If you experience premature labor, there is no need to panic. If the child breathes on his own and his weight is more than 2.5 kg, then everything is in order. A little love, care and mother's milk, and he will grow up to be a great man. There are many such examples in history. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte was born two months ahead of schedule.
But if you collected all the birth packages at 37 weeks, and are already 42, then immediately go to the maternity hospital. You should not hope for a doctor’s mistake - if the due date was set on an ultrasound of the fetus, then you need to trust him.
Where to determine the date of birth in St. Petersburg?
There is a specialized one in St. Petersburg. There is a new ultrasound machine with Doppler, which also allows 4D formats. Reception is conducted by leading obstetrician-gynecologists with the highest qualification category. Prices for fetal screening are minimal, from 2 thousand rubles. - only 1000 rub. Here you can also get tested for hCG and TORCH complex.
Menstruation is delayed, and the two treasured lines are becoming more and more visible in the tests? It’s still too early to go to the gynecologist, but you really want to find out when the baby who seems to have already settled in your tummy will be born? In this case, use our service to calculate your due date.
Calculate due date online
There are several methods for calculating the expected date of birth. All of them are based on the fact that a normal pregnancy lasts on average about forty weeks, counting from the beginning of the last menstrual bleeding. The expected date of birth will fall on the day that occurs 280 days or 40 weeks after the last menstruation began.
Calculating your due date using our service is very easy, convenient and fast - it only takes a few minutes or even seconds. To do this, you need to fill in the calculator windows with the numbers corresponding to the date of the first day of your last menstruation in the following format: day, month, year.
In just a moment, the calculator will calculate and display the result on the monitor.
This service works on the principle of calculating the duration of pregnancy, which in most cases lasts for 40 obstetric weeks or 280 calendar days. You can calculate your due date yourself by adding the required number of days/weeks to the day your last period started. But with the help of this convenient calculator, calculations are made easier, faster and without errors. However, you should understand that this is only an approximate, estimated date when you can expect to give birth. The length of pregnancy is influenced by a large number of factors, so it can last for different periods of time in different women.
Calculate due date based on date of conception
If you reliably know the day when fertilization occurred, then calculating the date of birth based on the date of conception will be even more reliable. To find out when the baby will be born, you need to add 280 days to the day on which the cherished sexual intercourse took place.
It should be understood that the date of sexual intercourse (even if you are almost one hundred percent sure of its authenticity and even if this month you had only a single case of sexual intercourse) is not always the date of conception of the child. The thing is that ovulation (the release of an egg ready for fertilization) can occur a day or two or even more after sex, but sperm that entered the vagina earlier can wait until this moment to merge with the egg and form a new life. Thus, the calculations may be off by several days. But still, the date of conception can be determined approximately.
You can also calculate the expected date of birth based on the day of ovulation. If you keep an appropriate schedule, the calculations will be quite accurate. But you can roughly calculate that very day, even without knowing the exact date of ovulation. It is believed that the egg matures approximately in the middle of the cycle. With a 28-day menstrual cycle, this moment occurs on days 12-15. By adding 280 days to the day of expected ovulation, you can calculate the date of birth.
Well, having received the result, proceed to pleasant chores and do not forget to visit the antenatal clinic on time, where you will be monitored for the next nine months.
In this article:
A pregnant woman is often worried about the day of her due date. She wants certainty while expecting her baby. Usually, when a woman first finds out that she is pregnant, one of the main and frequently asked questions is the day the child will be born. Namely, how to determine the due date.
The duration of pregnancy is not nine months, but 280 days, which is 10 lunar months. There are several common ways to determine the approximate date of birth of a baby. But it is approximate, since it is almost impossible to determine the exact one. The day of birth is determined with an accuracy of one or several weeks. Since sperm can remain alive in the female body, retaining the ability to fertilize for several days, knowing the exact date and month of conception, the exact day of birth still cannot be determined.
How to determine the date of birth of a child by the day of ovulation and the date of conception
It is not difficult to determine the day of birth of a baby based on the number of conception. As a rule, a woman’s body is capable of conception only during the period of ovulation. The duration of the menstrual cycle is approximately 28-35 days. And in the middle of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs. If you know the calendar date of your ovulation, the day of birth is quite easy to calculate. Many women feel their ovulation.
During this period, aching and stabbing sensations appear in the lower abdomen. Sexual desire becomes stronger, and the amount of vaginal discharge increases. Sometimes the discharge may be spotting and bloody, but not strong. Only during this period can conception occur. Ovulation can be accurately determined by ultrasound. Without knowing the calendar date of your ovulation, you need to calculate the middle of the menstrual cycle.
For example, if the duration of the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then ovulation occurs approximately on the 12-14th day of the cycle. To this day you need to add 280 days. Thus, the approximate date is calculated based on the day of conception. This method will be most accurate in cases where there was only one sexual intercourse during the menstrual cycle.
How to determine the date of birth using ultrasound
In the early stages of pregnancy (up to 12 weeks), this significant day can be determined using ultrasound. Gynecologists consider this method the most accurate of all (but only for a short period of time). Based on the results of the ultrasound, the calendar date for the onset of labor is determined at a later date. The gestational age is determined by the size of the fetal limbs and head. But if we take the conclusion of such an ultrasound examination as a basis to determine when labor will begin, then the date will turn out to be completely inaccurate. Since each child develops differently in the womb.
It is considered normal for a child to be born weighing 3 kg. But if a child was born weighing 5 kg, this is also normal. Only in this case, the fetus develops faster, and the day of its birth, based on an ultrasound scan of the second and third trimester of pregnancy, is set 2-3 weeks earlier than the present date. And with slower fetal development, on the contrary, the due date is set several weeks later. That’s why you can trust an ultrasound to determine the day when labor will begin only for periods up to 12 weeks.
How to determine the date of birth of a child by the day of the last menstruation
In order for the doctor to determine the duration of pregnancy, he must be told the day and month when the first day of the last menstruation began. From this day the countdown begins and the duration of the menstrual cycle is calculated. To determine the baby's birthday, gynecologists use the Naegele formula.
Using this formula, it is calculated according to the following principle: subtract 3 months from the calendar date of the first day of the last menstruation, then add 7 days to the resulting number. For example, the first day of your last period was April 3. Subtracting 3 months, we get January 3. And adding 7 days to January 3rd, we get January 10th. This will be the expected date. This method is designed for a standard menstrual cycle - 28 days.
Therefore, if the menstrual cycle is longer, then the due date will be later, since ovulation, with a long menstrual cycle, occurs later. When the menstrual cycle is irregular, the day calculated using this formula will not be correct.
Date of birth according to gynecological examination
When conducting a gynecological examination of a woman, the doctor can “by touch” determine the most accurate day of birth, starting from 3-4 weeks and up to 12. But at a later date, it is almost impossible to determine the approximately exact date and calculate the day. The reason for this is the different development of each fetus (the same as with ultrasound).
The first thing a gynecologist pays attention to during an examination is the shape and size of the uterus. During pregnancy, the uterus changes shape, becomes spherical, and its size increases. Before its onset, in healthy women the uterus is pear-shaped. Experienced gynecologists, based on the size of the uterus, estimate the most accurate gestational age and the approximate calendar date of the onset of labor.
The doctor can determine the baby's birth date by feeling the pregnant woman's belly at 14-16 weeks. The height of the uterus is determined by touch, and by its height the pregnancy rate is determined and the baby’s date of birth is calculated. You can also determine this long-awaited day by measuring your abdominal circumference. But the data obtained in this way will not be accurate, since the waist circumference of each woman is different.
Is it possible to determine the date of birth in later stages of pregnancy?
In some cases, it is difficult to determine the day on which a child will be born based on the number of conception. For such cases, there is a proven method for determining the day of birth by the date when the baby moved for the first time. The baby begins to make its first movements in the womb at approximately 12 weeks. But since the child is still very small, the expectant mother does not notice them.
If a woman gives birth for the first time, she will feel fetal movements at 20 weeks of pregnancy. If the child is not the first, then movements are noticeable already at 18 weeks. Based on this, the date of birth is calculated in this way: during the first pregnancy, 20 weeks are added to the first day of the baby’s movements; for the second pregnancy, 22 weeks are added. Thus, you can get an almost exact date of birth of the baby. Some women may feel fetal movements earlier than expected, at 14 or 16 weeks.
Gynecologists do not take such statements seriously, citing the fact that these are ordinary intestinal contractions. When determining the day of birth based on such early sensations of fetal movement, the resulting date will be incorrect.
Why is it impossible to determine the exact date of birth?
It is impossible to determine the exact date of birth of a child even by the day of conception. A very small number of women give birth on the exact date set by the gynecologist. Despite the fact that pregnancy should last 280 days, childbirth can occur at 38 weeks, which will not be a pathology. Almost always they occur earlier than the deadline set by the gynecologist if the pregnancy is multiple.
The onset of the day the baby is born can be influenced by the course of pregnancy with the presence of factors such as high blood pressure in the pregnant woman, polyhydramnios, and some diseases.
To determine the day of birth, there is an online pregnancy calendar. You can determine the approximate date of birth using an online calendar based on the day of conception. You need to enter your ovulation date in the window, and the calendar will automatically determine your estimated due date. The calendar will also allow you to calculate and control the approximate timing of fetal development.
Do not forget that the calendar is interactive, and regular visits to the gynecologist are mandatory.
A girl cannot become pregnant at any time. It is necessary to calculate as accurately as possible. If there are various problems with fertilization, then you need to follow a few simple rules that will help you get the desired result during the ovulation period.
There are various. You can use free services on the Internet, which, based on internal algorithms, can give a favorable date for conception.
They all work on the same principle: You are required to indicate the start date of menstruation and indicate the duration of the cycle. However, this is only suitable for girls with a regular cycle.
There are other methods, namely:
- Independently from the moment of menstruation. It usually occurs 14 days after the start of menstruation.
- Using a calendar, you can make a more accurate calculation, but you need to keep a monthly calendar. So, you will need to identify the duration of the longest and shortest cycles and subtract 18 and the shortest. The resulting figure will be the beginning of a favorable period. You need to subtract 11 from the longest period to find out the end day of ovulation.
- If your cycle is irregular, you can determine the best period by measuring your basal temperature. The thermometer should be kept in the mouth, vagina or anus for at least 5 minutes. The measurement takes place in the morning from the first day of the cycle. During menstruation, body temperature will be higher compared to the premenstrual period, and during ovulation it is at its maximum. The increase occurs up to 0.6 degrees.
- are sold in pharmacies and can also help determine the optimal time for conception.
- Carrying out analysis using saliva. It is necessary to apply biological material to the glass. If, after it dries, a pattern is formed that resembles a fern, then the girl is ovulating. The reason for the appearance of the pattern is the increased salt content in the body during this period.
- Carrying out an ultrasound, which is the most accurate method of determining the favorable period for conception.
However, You can get pregnant not only during ovulation. There are also other periods during which having sex will lead to the birth of a baby.
What periods are favorable for conception?
It's best to practice. The probability of a favorable outcome is up to 90%.
There are also other periods when conception is possible, namely:
- Pre-ovulation period. Sperm live in a woman's body for up to 7 days, so sex a couple of days before ovulation can lead to pregnancy. A few days before the onset of the favorable period, weak sperm have time to die on the way to the egg, while the strongest and healthiest remain. Thus, the likelihood of developing various fetal diseases during intrauterine development will be minimized.
- Post-ovulation period. Indeed, you can have a baby within a few days after ovulation. The chances are quite high if there are no deviations.
There are even special techniques by determining the date of conception by the moment of ovulation.
How to determine the due date?
It can be quite difficult to determine the date of birth, since it is problematic to calculate the date of conception. But if a girl knows exactly when she ovulated and sexual intercourse with a man, then calculating the expected date of birth becomes much easier.
By ovulation
There are several ways to calculate the day of fertilization. One of them is based on the menstrual cycle. However, the result will have a fairly high error, since the first day of the cycle is known, but there is no data about the last day.
There are special ones. They are sold in pharmacies. With their help, you can find out the gestational age from the first days of fertilization. It must be used according to the principle of a regular test. In some models, the biological material is the blood of the potential mother.
The most accurate type of examination is ultrasound. Here it is possible to determine the period of fetal development with an error of 1-2 days.
By monthly
This is one of the most popular methods of self-calculation. Here the girl knows the start date of menstruation and can count down 280 days from the expected date of conception. The average pregnancy lasts exactly 280 days.
At the same time, it is almost impossible to find out the exact day of birth. According to official statistics, the error up to 7 days is almost 85%.
A pregnancy of 38-42 weeks is considered normal.. If a child is born before this period, it is premature.
But the duration is influenced by various factors, which include the hormonal background of the expectant mother, her psycho-emotional state, the presence of necessary minerals and vitamins, and much more.
How to find out the gender of a child?
There are many different methods for determining the sex of a child. However, regardless of the method, there is a fairly large error. Below are a few of these methods.
By ovulation
If you had sex a few days before ovulation, That . The fact is that sperm that carry the X chromosome are more tenacious. And the female body perceives seminal fluid as a foreign element. Therefore, the immune system begins to produce antibodies to destroy male germ cells.
Those that carry the Y chromosome are the first to die. Sex a couple of days before ovulation with a 70% chance it can cause. But intimacy during or after ovulation is almost guaranteed to be a cause for joy for parents who are expecting a boy.
By frequency of sexual intercourse
According to research, abstaining from sex can lead to the birth of a girl. But frequent sexual intercourse will cause the birth of a boy.
When a man does not have sex for a long time, his body begins to produce bodies that deactivate sperm with the Y chromosome. Sexual abstinence is recommended for 20-30 days to increase the likelihood of having a girl.
But a week of abstinence will lead to the conception of a boy, since during this period sperm with the Y chromosome exhibit maximum activity.
By blood renewal
The blood is constantly renewed. In this case, the dominant trait is the parent with younger blood. Thus, if it was initially renewed in a man, then the probability of having a boy is very high.
It is worth knowing the blood renewal period. For men it is 4 years, for women it is 3 years. All accidental blood losses are also taken into account. You can figure out whose blood is younger using mathematical calculations. You need to divide the age of a man by 4, and a woman by 3. Whoever has the lower value is the one who should have a child of that gender.
By diet
The nutrition of the expectant mother, according to some scientists, affects the development of a boy or girl. The diet must be followed in advance, since gender is determined at the moment of fertilization of the egg.
To give birth to a boy, you must eat:
- a large amount of meat;
- flour products;
- legumes, mushrooms and potatoes;
- salty food;
- oranges, peaches, bananas, cherries and apricots.
But To give birth to a female child you need eat a lot of dairy foods, fresh fish, various baked goods and drink tea or coffee.
Determining gender by date of birth
There is a table that allows you to guess the gender of the child based on the expected date of birth. However, the error here is quite high, since it is difficult to determine the exact date of birth. The length of pregnancy is influenced by various factors. Therefore, you should not rely on this method..
There are many other ways to determine the sex of a child. But the most effective is ultrasound examination. During the test, the number of fruits and their gender will be visible.
By ultrasound
Ultrasound is performed several times during pregnancy to determine the presence of pregnancy, study the expected date of birth, identify the number of fetuses and various pathological diseases.
It is necessary to perform ultrasound three times during pregnancy, since different information is available to the specialist at different times. In this case, adjustments are made to the results of the previous study.
Starting from the 4th conception there is an opportunity to say when is the expected date of birth. Based on the level of fetal development, the possible date of conception is determined, and the countdown begins from there.
But this period is approximate, since the duration of pregnancy can be sharply reduced as a result of stressful situations and other factors that will negatively affect the hormonal and psycho-emotional background of a woman.
Thus, there are many different ways find out the sex of the child and the date of conception. The most important thing is to know the moment of ovulation and follow a healthy lifestyle. Then pregnancy will occur quite easily and will proceed in accordance with established standards.
Almost every pregnant woman is very interested in when her baby will be born. There is no exact method for determining the day of birth. But there are quite a lot of methods that allow you to calculate the estimated date of birth (EDD). How to use these methods, and which one is the most accurate? More on this later!
Determining the date of birth based on the date of conception
Based on the date of conception, you can determine the approximate birthday of the baby. It is known that conception of a child can only occur during the period of ovulation, i.e. at the time when the finished egg leaves the follicle and goes to meet the sperm.
As a rule, ovulation occurs on the 14th day of the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle should be understood as the period of time from 1 day of menstruation to 1 day of the next. The duration of this cycle is individual for each woman. On average it is 27-29 days, but can stretch up to 35 days or even more.
Women who carefully monitor their menstrual cycle and plan a pregnancy are usually able to determine their ovulation day.
Knowing the date of ovulation, you need to add 280 days to it(which is how long pregnancy lasts on average for women). You can find out the expected date of birth of a child using this method only if you have a regular menstrual cycle.
At the same time, you need to understand that the day of sexual intercourse is not always the day of conception, because The lifespan of sperm can reach 3 days.
Calculation of due date based on last menstruation
The approximate birthday of the baby can be calculated based on the last menstruation. You need to know the day it starts. To determine the approximate date of birth of a child count forward 280 days from the first day of your last period(average duration of pregnancy).
According to statistics, no more than 5% of children are born on the “calculated” day. About 85% of babies are born with a deviation of 5-7 days from the calculated MPD, and the remaining babies are “in a hurry” or “late” for another week. According to medical standards, the normal duration of pregnancy is 38-42 weeks, and not strictly 40 weeks, as many people mistakenly believe for some reason.
At the same time, the duration of pregnancy can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the individual speed of development of the child and the duration of the menstrual cycle of the expectant mother.
For example, if the cycle lasts up to 24 days, the baby may be born 1-2 weeks earlier than the due date calculated using the formula mentioned above. If the duration of the menstrual cycle exceeds 32 days, the child may be “late” for the same 1-2 weeks, but such a “delay” will not be considered postmaturity.
How to calculate the due date using ultrasound
Currently, the method of calculating the date of birth using ultrasound is the most reliable. You just need to pay attention to the period of pregnancy during which the study is performed.
For example, if an ultrasound is performed at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy, the expected date of birth can be determined with an error of 1-3 days.
In the first trimester of pregnancy, embryos practically do not differ in size. During the second trimester, differences in the weight and height of the fetus can be quite significant, and in the third trimester they become even more pronounced. Therefore, during the 2nd and 3rd trimester, it is unlikely that it will be possible to find out at least the expected date of birth using ultrasound.
At the first move
At a time when medicine did not yet have the means to conduct ultrasound examinations, the most reliable way to determine the expected date of birth was the method of determining the baby’s first movement.
Doctors today ask pregnant patients about the date of the baby’s first movement and note this information on the exchange card, but such importance is no longer attached to this day. But no one is stopping you from trying.
According to this method, women who are pregnant for the first time most often feel fetal movement at the 20th week of pregnancy. Hence, to the day of the first movement you need to add the same number of weeks. This will determine the expected date of birth.
In the second and subsequent pregnancies, the first movements may appear as early as the 18th week. To determine the expected date of birth in such a situation, you need to add 22 weeks to the day of the first movement.
This method can hardly be called the most accurate. Due to individual physiological characteristics, some pregnant women feel fetal movement earlier than the specified period. In addition, many modern mothers lead an active lifestyle, against the background of which the moment of the first movement may simply not be noticed.
If a woman is forced to adhere to bed rest for medical reasons, she will probably feel the fetus moving. Moreover, the first movements can be noticed by such women even before the 18th or 20th week.
Based on the results of a gynecological examination
During a gynecological examination, the specialist notes the degree of enlargement of the uterus. In accordance with this indicator, you can quite accurately determine the approximate day of birth. The uterus increases in size along with the fetus, which is why an experienced specialist in most situations can calculate the approximate date of birth without any problems.
Based on the size of the uterus during the first trimester of pregnancy, the doctor can find out the duration of pregnancy and thereby calculate the approximate date of birth, using the approximate day of the last menstrual period in the calculations.
In the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, it is very difficult to establish the date of birth based on the results of a gynecological examination, because In different women, the size of the uterus changes at different rates. In view of this, this method is considered ineffective in late pregnancy, and therefore is not used.
According to the results of obstetric examination
In the second half of pregnancy (usually starting from the 20-21st week) during each gynecological examination doctor measures pregnant woman and the height of the fundus of her uterus. Thanks to these measurements, the specialist has the opportunity to monitor the progress of pregnancy and timely determine the presence of any kind of deviations from the norm. Also, thanks to this information, the doctor can approximately calculate the due date.
However, you cannot completely trust this method either, because... the accuracy of the readings obtained as a result of an obstetric examination may depend both on the individual characteristics of the pregnant woman’s body and on the accuracy of the doctor.
Which method is the most effective?
The most effective method for determining the expected date of birth is ultrasound. Also, the method of counting from the date of the last menstruation shows relatively high accuracy. It is very good if the results of calculations using these two methods coincide - then the chances of the baby being born on the expected day will also increase.
But if the dates do not coincide, there is no need to be upset. Carefully monitor the course of your pregnancy and undergo regular examinations. Remember: each of the methods discussed allows you to determine only the approximate date of birth.
Why are the results for determining the due date only approximate?
In reality, it is almost impossible to determine the exact birthday of a child. Only a few women manage to give birth exactly on the day specified by the doctor or on their own. Most often, pregnancy lasts 280 days (40 weeks), but often mothers give birth at 38 weeks or even earlier, and in many situations this is considered normal. Moreover, if a woman is pregnant with more than one child at once, then, in most cases, she will begin giving birth earlier than the date set by the gynecologist.
It is important to understand that a baby can be born 1-2 weeks later than the due date - in most situations this is not considered a deviation.
That is, a deviation from the “standard” 40 weeks by 1-2 weeks forward or backward is not considered something abnormal.
It is also important to understand that the duration of pregnancy and the approximate day of birth can be influenced by a variety of factors. For example, various diseases and complications can lead to premature birth.
Thus, in the absence of complications, the child is born only fully mature and ready for life outside the mother's womb. It is almost impossible to accurately calculate the due date. But the above methods, as well as our online birth date calculator, will help you determine the expected or approximate date of birth.
Health to you and your baby!