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How long does a person's pregnancy last? | Blog

Several studies have been done on how many weeks a pregnancy lasts. The results of these studies were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

How does pregnancy begin?

The development of pregnancy in humans begins with the fertilization of a female egg by a male spermatozoon. Fertilization is possible after ovulation - the release of the egg from the ovary. Usually, ovulation occurs on the 10-16th day of the menstrual cycle (from the 1st day of the last menstruation), but can be significantly shifted. The life span of an egg is about a day, and that of a sperm cell is 3-5 days. After ovulation, the egg enters the fallopian tube, where it meets the sperm and fertilization occurs. Then, within 14 days, the fertilized egg moves into the uterus in order to implant (fix) in the uterine cavity and continue to develop.

How to calculate the expected due date and what affects how many weeks the pregnancy lasts?

The estimated due date is calculated by adding 280 days to the first day of your last menstrual period. However, the duration of pregnancy is influenced by the age of the mother, the time of implantation of the embryo, the weight of the mother herself at the time of birth. It was found that with every year of her life, a woman bears a child for 1 day longer. And for every “extra” 100 grams of weight at birth, we also add 1 day to the duration of pregnancy. During the study, it was also found that embryos require different times for implantation (fixation in the uterus). And those embryos that took longer to implant also require more time from implantation to birth. More precisely, the date of birth can be determined using ultrasound.

What is term pregnancy?

In obstetric practice, full-term, it is customary to consider pregnancy lasting from 37 to 42 weeks. Up to 37 weeks is a premature pregnancy, and the birth is premature, and after 42 weeks it is a post-term pregnancy, and the birth is late.

Are there methods for accurately determining the duration of pregnancy?

A team of researchers, in order to more accurately calculate the duration of pregnancy, determined the level of hormones in the urine of women who plan to conceive naturally, which made it possible to determine the time of ovulation and implantation of a fertilized egg. Thus, scientists found that the duration of pregnancy was no more than 268 days, that is, 38 weeks. And the duration of pregnancy itself can vary by 37 days. It was also found that previous and subsequent pregnancies lasted approximately the same length as the pregnancy that was investigated.

Based on the results of this study, it was found that there are currently few mechanisms in the world that allow you to accurately determine the date of birth and how long the pregnancy lasts. And giving the exact due date is not a good idea, because. this causes a woman’s extra anxiety if the birth does not occur on the specified date. The poet, women should be told that you will give birth around this time.

How often do women give birth on the expected due date?

It is statistically known that only 4% of women give birth on the expected date of delivery, and 70% within 10 days of the due date.

How is the expected date of delivery determined at the Leleka Maternity Hospital?

In the Leleka Maternity Hospital, doctors use the first day of the last menstruation, to which we add 280 days, as well as the ultrasound diagnostic method to determine the expected date of birth. The most accurate time to determine the gestational age on an ultrasound scan is 11-13 weeks. During an ultrasound examination, the doctor will measure the coccyx-parietal size of the fetus, and using special tables, determine the gestational age to days and, accordingly, the expected date of birth. And, if the difference between the period calculated from the first day of the last menstruation and using ultrasound is less than 5 days, then we focus on the date according to the last menstruation, and if the difference is more than 5 days, then on the date that turned out during the ultrasound examination .

What to do if the expected date of delivery has come, but the birth has not happened?

If the date of delivery has come, but the birth does not occur, there is no need to panic. Come for a consultation with the doctors of the Leleka Maternity Hospital. During this consultation, the doctor will conduct a series of studies to make sure that everything is in order with the condition of the fetus and the pregnant woman. And will determine the date of induction of labor, if labor does not begin on its own. Experience shows that most women start giving birth before this date.

Remember that how many weeks a pregnancy lasts is a very individual value and can vary quite widely.

Pregnancy planning and childbirth are very important periods of life. The Leleka Maternity Hospital will provide informational and practical support. The institution provides professional obstetric-gynecological and non-anthological services that meet international standards. The company employs qualified narrow specialists who will provide support at all stages: from pregnancy planning, conception to postpartum rehabilitation.

how they learned about pregnancy and gave birth in the old days

Nowadays, medicine promises women the safest childbirth, which can lead to death only in isolated cases. However, this was not the case in ancient times. The woman understood that childbirth posed a great danger to her. Many were afraid to give birth, because they knew that almost every second woman in labor dies from blood loss or infections. "MIR 24" tells how in the era of the ancient world and in Rus', pregnancy was determined, they reacted to infertility and gave birth.

Photo: Basalt figure of a woman giving birth Photo: bas-relief depiction of childbirth in Ancient Greece

appetite and menstrual flow. The relationship between the cessation of critical days and the onset of pregnancy was first formulated by the famous ancient Greek healer Hippocrates . It is known that 9 out of 72 scientific works of the doctor were devoted to women's diseases and obstetrics. However, deep knowledge did not prevent the healer from coming up with another, completely insane by modern standards, way to determine pregnancy. Hippocrates offered his patients to drink a special solution. To prepare it, it was necessary to crush the anise, mix it with honey and dissolve in water. After drinking this drink, the pregnant woman must certainly feel abdominal cramps. If she did not feel them, it means that replenishment in the family should not be expected.

Hippocrates also prudently suggested two ways to determine the sex of a child. The healer believed that the complexion of a woman in labor could indicate not only her well-being, but also the gender of the baby.

The pallor of the face indicated that a girl would be born, and a healthy pink blush indicated the birth of a boy.

The sex of the baby could also be checked by looking at the direction of the mother's nipples. The nipples pointing downwards confirmed that a woman would have a girl, and upwards a boy.

Before giving birth to a child, a woman in labor in ancient Greece was supposed to kneel. It was believed that such a position could ease the torment of a woman. Obstetric care was provided only for very difficult births. In other cases, the midwife was only required to cut the umbilical cord. Over time, midwives became a separate social class. They passed on valuable knowledge about obstetrics from generation to generation.

Photo: Ancient Roman bas-relief image of a midwife (midwife)

What tricks did the Romans in antiquity go to in order to acquire offspring! So, pregnant Roman women generously decorated themselves with amber accessories. It was believed that this stone is able to help a woman safely bear the fetus and endure pregnancy.

If suddenly a wife turned out to be barren, a Roman patrician could easily borrow a fertile woman from another family.

To alleviate the pain of a woman in labor, the midwives of Ancient Rome brought special aromatic substances to her nose and waited for her to start sneezing. The Romans were convinced that the reflex could help push the baby out of the womb. Since anesthesia had not yet been invented, caesarean sections were performed only on women who died during childbirth.

After the birth, the first thing the baby was shown was Pater Familias, the father of the family, the oldest member of the family. He confirmed the legitimacy of the baby with a special ritual - he took him in his arms and raised him above his head. Since it was important for the father of the family to acquire an heir, he always looked forward to the news of the birth of a boy. Girls could not inherit the throne.

Due to the high mortality rate, the Romans feared that the baby might die shortly after birth, so the baby was given a name only when they were finally convinced of its viability - a week after birth.

The main opponent of Hippocrates in the vicissitudes of gynecology lived and worked in Ancient Rome Soranus of Ephesus , better known as the founder of pediatrics. Soranus denied the opinion of Hippocrates that a six-month-old fetus, compared with a seven-month-old one, has a better chance of survival. A ripe fruit is always more viable, Soran believed. He also advocated the rejection of rough obstetrics and developed rules for breastfeeding newborns. Soran adopted professionalism from midwives. He was not embarrassed that in ancient Rome, the secrets of midwifery were taught primarily by women. Having gained experience, he taught more than one generation of midwives the correct turn on the leg and extraction of the fetus.

Photo: Ancient Egyptian frescoes

The Egyptians, like the Romans, were especially interested in whether the chosen one was barren. Ordinary cereal seedlings served as a pregnancy test, on which the woman had to urinate. In such an exotic way, at the same time it was possible to find out the sex of the unborn child. If wheat germinated first, then a girl should have been born, and if barley, then a boy. The Egyptians believed that the urine of a pregnant woman contained a special hormone, so in 70% of cases her urine unmistakably demonstrated the presence of pregnancy.

Egyptian women gave birth while squatting. Feet should be placed on two maternity bricks, decorated with paintings depicting various deities. The process of childbirth was accompanied by magical rituals, the participants of which called for the help of the gods depicted on the bricks. If the birth was difficult, the woman had to be fumigated with incense.

The Egyptians considered the goddess Taurt the main patroness of women in childbirth and newborns. Usually she was depicted as a female hippopotamus or crocodile with lion's feet, a rounded belly and a magnificent chest.

The image of Tawart was often found on amulets worn by women in childbirth, as well as in small chapels that the Egyptians erected near dwellings in honor of the goddess. During numerous excavations in ancient Egypt, archaeologists have repeatedly found figurines of Tawart made of ceramics and faience. At the same time, the cult of the prolific goddess did not spread to temples and pyramids.

Photo: wikipedia.org / “A new member of the family”, (1890), “A new acquaintance”, (1885) / Carl Johann Lemoch

It was customary to give birth in Rus' in a bathhouse. It was believed that only there a woman in labor was provided with a calm environment and cleanliness. Before giving birth, the walls and floor of the bath were necessarily cleaned white.

Midwives (the people often called them navel cutters) were indispensable companions of women in labor and women suffering from infertility. To stimulate the birth process, treat infertility and restore the body after childbirth, they used medicinal herbs, so it was very important for them to have healer wisdom.

A commoner could not always afford childbirth services. As a rule, only wealthy people could hire a midwife. Court midwives helped princes (and later kings and emperors) to find a healthy and chaste bride. All applicants midwives were subjected to a rigorous medical examination.

A woman who was weakened after childbirth was not allowed to sleep, because, according to popular belief, the devils could replace the newborn during the mother's sleep. If a woman could not give birth for a long time, methods were used that are unlikely to come to the mind of modern obstetrician-gynecologists.

To ease the pains of childbirth, village healers could, for example, sprinkle sugar on the birth canal.

So, in Mikhail Bulgakov in "Notes of a young doctor" there is a demonstrative monologue of a midwife, in which she tells how a village sorceress tried to "lure" a baby with the help of refined sugar: "

Further, Bulgakov's heroine tells another burning story about how a woman in labor was allowed to chew her own hair to alleviate physical suffering:

“Three times they brought us women in labor.

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