Week pregnant based on due date

Calculate your due date: How to find your baby's due date

Choose a calculation method Last periodConception dateI know my due date

First day of my last period

BabyCenter's Due Date Calculator

Use our pregnancy due date calculator by plugging in either the date of your last menstrual cycle or the date you know you conceived. The calculator will do the rest.

How is my due date calculated?

There are several ways your due date is determined. If you happen to know the day you conceived, you can count 38 weeks from that day to find your due date. (Human gestation takes about 38 weeks.)

But very few expectant moms know exactly when they conceived. Even if you only had sex once during your fertile period, you wouldn't conceive on that day unless you happen to be ovulating. Sperm can live for up to five days inside your fallopian tubes. So, it could be up to five days after you have sex that you release an egg (ovulate) and it gets fertilized by a waiting sperm. That's the day you conceive.

So, without knowing the day of conception, how does anyone determine a due date?

First day of your last period

The most common way to calculate your pregnancy due date is by counting 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). And that's how most healthcare providers do it.

If your menstrual cycle length is the average length (28-day cycle), your menstrual cycle probably started about two weeks before you conceived. This explains why pregnancies are said to last 40 weeks instead of 38 weeks.

This method doesn't take into account how long your menstrual cycle actually is or when you think you might have conceived. But generally speaking, women typically ovulate about two weeks after their menstrual cycle starts. And women are more likely to know when their last period started than the day they ovulated.

Conception date

If you do happen to know precisely when you conceived – say, if you were using an ovulation predictor kit or tracking your ovulation symptoms – you can calculate your pregnancy due date based on your conception date. Just choose that calculation method from the pulldown above and put in your date.

Note: Again, you don't necessarily conceive on the day you have sex.

IVF transfer date

If you conceived through IVF, you can calculate your due date using your IVF transfer date. If you had a Day 5 embryo transfer, count 261 days from your transfer date. If you had a Day 3 embryo transfer, count 263 days.

Can my due date change?

Your healthcare provider might revise your due date if your baby is measured during a first trimester ultrasound scan and found to be much bigger or smaller than expected for gestational age. This is more likely to happen if you have an irregular menstrual cycle length that makes it hard to pinpoint the date of conception.

Your healthcare provider will measure your baby during that ultrasound exam to figure out how far along your baby is and then provide you with a new due date.

What if I already know my due date?

If you already know your due date, you can use this calculator to see your pregnancy timeline. It will tell you when you'll hit various milestones, and when you may be due for prenatal tests and prenatal visits. You'll also find what your baby's sign and birthstone will probably be and which famous people were born on your due date.

How likely am I to give birth on my due date?

Of course, a due date calculation is always approximate, whether it's from our tool or from your doctor or midwife. Only 1 in 20 women delivers on their due date. You're just as likely to go into labor any day during the two weeks before or after.

Want more information about how the weeks, months, and trimesters of pregnancy are counted? See our pregnancy timing chart.

How soon can I take a pregnancy test?

With all this talk about pregnancy due dates, you may be wondering when you can take a pregnancy test. To ensure you get the most accurate reading, it's best to wait a few days after your missed period to take a pregnancy test.

At-home urine tests measure the amount of hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotropin) present in your body. If you take a pregnancy test before you miss your period, you may not get an accurate result, despite what some tests advertise.

If you're getting a blood test in your provider's office, you may get results sooner. These tests also measure the amount of hCG in your bloodstream, but they're more sensitive than at-home urine tests. Blood tests may be able to detect pregnancy six to eight days after ovulation.

Read more

Your pregnancy, week by week
Your first trimester pregnancy checklist
Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator
Ovulation Calculator
See all tools

How many weeks pregnant am I? — Flo

The first day of your last period The day you conceived

Average cycle length

20 days21 days22 days23 days24 days25 days26 days27 days28 days29 days30 days31 days32 days33 days34 days35 days36 days37 days38 days39 days40 days41 days42 days43 days44 days45 days

Please note that Flo Health does not collect, process, or store any of the data that you enter while using these Tools. All calculations are done exclusively in your browser. Flo Health does not have access to the results. All data will be permanently erased after leaving or closing the page.
Our Due Date Calculator is based on a 28-day cycle (cycles can vary from 20 to 45 days), and your period and ovulation are considered to be the first 2 weeks of pregnancy. As this method is affected by the regularity of your menstrual cycle, the due date predictor is not 100% accurate.
Remember that pregnancy due date calculators, birth date calculators, and pregnancy calculators can help you learn more about your estimated due date and pregnancy timeline, but they are not a replacement for medical advice. You should always notify your health care provider that you are pregnant. Sometimes an ultrasound will be needed to date your pregnancy.

You will meet your baby on

date

day

Gestational age is

weeks and day

Gestational age is the age of pregnancy and is counted from the first day of your LMP. So technically it includes two weeks during which you weren't pregnant yet.

Week 1

At 1 week pregnant, you’re actually not pregnant yet. As your pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last menstruation, your baby does not yet exist, and your body is preparing for the ovulation during which you’ll get pregnant.

Week 2

At 2 weeks pregnant, you’re technically not pregnant yet. Right now there is a lone egg and a whole bunch of anxious sperm eager to fertilize the egg. Your uterus and the entire body are preparing for a big day of ovulation - the stage when you'll get pregnant.

Week 3

Week 3 of pregnancy is the week when the implantation happens. Your body releases chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which causes an increased production of estrogen and progesterone, and prevents new eggs in the ovaries from ripening. Very soon you'll start experiencing the first symptoms of pregnancy: missed period, nausea, breast changes.

Week 4

At 4 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a poppy seed.

At 4 weeks pregnant, your future baby has finally found his home for the next eight months. The blastocyst has arrived from a fallopian tube to your uterus. You can get a positive pregnancy test result at this stage.

Week 5

At 5 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a sesame seed.

By week 5, you should have missed your period, which is one of the most obvious sign you're expecting. Under the influence of hormonal changes, you can feel the first signs of pregnancy: breast swelling, fatigue, headache, and back pain.

Week 6

At 6 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a lentil.

Starting from pregnancy week 6, you may experience morning sickness. This is the result of hormonal changes occurring in your body. Malaise, breast swelling, darkening of the nipple areola, and frequent urination can bother you, too. In case of bleeding, you should consult your doctor.

Week 7

At 7 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a blueberry.

At 7 weeks pregnant, symptoms start kicking in and your uterus almost doubles in size. Be prepared for a possible increase in nausea, fatigue, heartburn, and other pregnancy symptoms. Morning sickness may give a lot of trouble. Try to find some ways to cope with it.

Week 8

At 8 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a bean.

At 8 weeks pregnant, you need to plan your first visit to the gynecologist. The doctor will prescribe the necessary tests and examinations for the first trimester of pregnancy. You may feel the growing discomfort of morning sickness. Try to be patient; it usually lasts until the 14th week only.

Week 9

At 9 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a cherry.

At 9 weeks pregnant, your baby is already about 0.6–0.7 in (16–18 mm) and weighs about 0.11 oz (3 g). The tail has disappeared; human features are becoming more distinct. The joints of his/her hands and legs can flex; the nipples and hair follicles are developing. Taste buds are beginning to form on the tongue, as well as primary tooth buds in the gums.

Week 10

At 10 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a kumquat.

Week 10 of pregnancy is the time when almost all vital organs and tissues of your baby have formed. Now, they are beginning to function and grow rapidly. He or she can swallow amniotic fluid and move their arms and legs. The skin is getting covered with small hair and the fingers have tiny nails. Testes in boys already start to produce testosterone.

Week 11

At 11 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a fig.

At 11 weeks pregnant, your baby has already reached 2 in (5 cm) in size. Now, his/her head is half the length of the body, but in the coming weeks, the body will grow enough to make up for it. The fetus skin is so thin and translucent that through it you can see an extensive network of vessels. Placental vessels are expanding to provide the fetus with necessary nutrients and oxygen.

Week 12

At 12 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a plum.

At 12 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs about 0.49 oz (14 g). His/her vocal cords are forming, and kidneys are starting to produce urine, filling the bladder. Although you cannot feel it yet, you can see the baby during a sonogram screening (ultrasound).

Week 13

At 13 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a pea pod.

Welcome to the last week of the first trimester! Most early pregnancy symptoms will soon be left behind. At 13 weeks pregnant, your baby is constantly growing. Now, he/she is more than 2. 8 in (7 cm) from the top of his/her head to the coccyx.

Week 14

At 14 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a peach.

At 14 weeks pregnant, your baby is developing rapidly. In a while, you will be able to feel them moving and kicking. Your body starts actively gaining weight. This occurs due to an increase in blood and lymph volume.

Week 15

At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of an apple.

At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby your baby is actively drawing in amniotic fluid through his/her nose. Very soon you'll start looking pregnant indeed as your uterus has risen from your pelvic region to your lower abdomen. Time to plan pregnancy shopping!

Week 16

At 16 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of an avocado.

You’re on week 16 of your pregnancy, and things are really starting to gear up! Your tiny baby is not so tiny anymore, and it most definitely looks like a human baby now. By week 16 of your pregnancy, you’re 4 months in. That means you’re nearly halfway there and only have 5 more months to go!

Week 17

At 17 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a potato.

If you’ve been enjoying a relatively subtle pregnancy with very little belly to show for it, that’s probably over now! Your waist will gradually disappear as your uterus moves upwards and out of your pelvis.

Week 18

At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a bell pepper.

If you’ve been astonished by your baby’s rapid growth and weight gain over the last few weeks, by week 18 this will start to level off a little — but there’s still lots of big news in your little one’s early life! At this stage, he or she can yawn, stretch, and even make facial expressions like frowning. The baby’s sense of taste is developing, and taste buds can now distinguish between sweet and bitter.

Week 19

At 19 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a mango.

At 19 weeks pregnant, your rounded belly is very noticeable. The first hair appears on the baby's head, and the brain areas responsible for the senses — tactile, gustatory, olfactory, visual and auditory — are developing rapidly.

Week 20

At 20 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a grapefruit.

Congratulations! You are halfway to meeting your baby. The baby's legs have almost straightened, so from now on, he/she will be measured from head to toe.

Week 21

At 21 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a banana.

As a 21 week pregnant woman, you have crossed the halfway line on your journey to becoming a mother. Your baby is getting bigger. You can now definitely feel her presence as she explores the real estate that you’ve prepared for her.

Week 22

At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a carrot.

If you are entering the 22nd week of your pregnancy, without doubts it is getting crowded in there! Your baby is growing and invading your space. And your uterus stretches to about 2 cm (0.8 in) above your belly button to fit your growing baby.

Week 23

At 23 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a squash.

For many women, being 23 weeks pregnant is an exciting time because you may finally be showing your baby bump! Among other things, your baby’s eyes and lips are taking shape. They will begin to gain weight more weight which will eventually fill out their wrinkly skin.

Week 24

At 24 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of an eggplant.

At 24 weeks pregnant, your baby is almost a foot long. You could be experiencing a tingling sensation in your joints, which is known as carpal tunnel syndrome. It is a common condition during pregnancy which occurs due to fluid build-up in your joints which results in compression of the median nerve.

Week 25

At 25 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a full ear of corn.

Once you reach week 25 of your pregnancy, you’ll be nearing the end of your second trimester. It can feel like times flies! At 25 weeks pregnant, you’re approximately 5 months and 2 weeks along. Your baby has been growing steadily and even though it’s still not ready, it won’t be long before it comes into the world.

Week 26

At 26 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a beetroot.

You’re likely to put on between 16 and 22 pounds by now. At one point during this week, your baby will open his or her eyes for the first time. He or she is not yet able to see anything inside of the uterus but will blink closing and opening his or her eyes when falling asleep and waking up.

Week 27

At 27 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a cauliflower.

The 27th week of the pregnancy marks the final two weeks of the second trimester. If your baby is more active at night you might suffer from insomnia and have trouble sleeping. Compensate for the lack of sleep time during the night by napping during the day more when the baby is sleeping.

Week 28

At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a coconut.

At 28 weeks you are now entering the third trimester of your pregnancy. At this stage, your baby is pretty well-developed. Her organs, tissues, and nerves continue to grow, but she already has all of the systems necessary for survival outside the uterus. Towards the end of the pregnancy, babies start to recognize familiar sounds and voices.

Week 29

At 29 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a pomelo.

At 29 weeks pregnant, you're likely to develop varicose veins like 40 percent of expectant moms. It's also a good time to start doing a kick count. Let your doctor or midwife know if you notice that your baby is becoming less active.

Week 30

At 30 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a head of cabbage.

At 30 weeks pregnant, you are likely to experience shortness of breath. Your baby is still up high near your rib and is waiting a bit – it is soon expected to drop down into your pelvis.

Week 31

At 31 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a head of a zucchini.

At 31 weeks pregnant, your breasts can get leaky producing the first baby’s food – colostrum. This is one of the symptoms that your body is getting ready for the big day. You are likely to experience shortness of breath. This week your baby is going through major nerve and brain development.

Week 32

At 32 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a head of lettuce.

At 32 weeks pregnant, your body may start flexing its muscles preparing for the big day. Your baby is also preparing for her debut mastering the skills she’ll need to thrive outside your womb: swallowing, breathing, sucking.

Week 33

At 33 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a pineapple.

At 33 weeks pregnant, you may notice that your baby’s movements are affected by your daily routine. Your belly continues to grow and it’s getting even more troublesome to find a comfortable sitting or sleeping position.

Week 34

At 34 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a butternut squash.

At 34 weeks pregnant, your breasts could start leaking small amounts of yellowish colostrum. Your baby is already the size of a school bag and weighs as a melon. If you’re worried about your safety at work, time to talk to your employer about maternity benefits.

Week 35

At 35 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a honeydew melon.

At 35 weeks pregnant, you may know how your baby’s moving in your womb just by looking at your bump. It can you give you some discomfort and make you a bit breathless. At this point, many moms can’t wait for the baby to get here, while others are feeling a bit anxious about giving birth. Both feelings are completely normal!

Week 36

At 36 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a papaya.

At 36 weeks pregnant, your baby is sleeping between 60 and 80% of the time. It has finally moved into your pelvic cavity, the pressure on your diaphragm is released, and lightening happens. Your baby can now open its eyes, suck its thumb, breathe, and recognize voices!

Week 37

At 37 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a head of romaine lettuce.

Welcome to your 37th week of pregnancy, and congratulations! The baby moves further into the pelvis. It is considered to be ‘at-term’ and can actually arrive any day now. Make sure you are ready for the arrival of a new family member.

Week 38

At 38 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of Swiss chard.

At 38 weeks pregnant, you can find yourself spending the whole life peeing. The pressure on your bladder is tremendous. Your baby is a fully functioning little human and your placenta is fully grown.

Week 39

At 39 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a small watermelon.

Welcome to the week 39 of pregnancy! Your baby is full term, meaning that it is fully developed and is only waiting for the right time to make an entrance into the world. Have you prepared everything that is needed to welcome your baby?

Week 40

At 40 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a mini watermelon.

At 40 weeks pregnant, you may feel disappointed that your due date has come and gone. Don’t panic and make the last preparations for a new human who’ll soon join the world.

Week 41

At 41 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a pumpkin.

At week 41 of pregnancy, you might be dying out of the desire to give birth and see your baby. But rest assured that plenty of moms-to-be go past their due date and everything turns out just fine.

Week 42

At 42 weeks pregnant, your baby is the size of a watermelon.

When a pregnancy lasts for 42 weeks or more it is referred to as a post-term pregnancy. While not many studies exist that prove why some women’s pregnancy lasts for 42 weeks, medical experts believe that factors such as hormones, genetics, and even obesity can be the cause.

Barbara Levy, MD

Former Vice President in Health Policy of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists National Leadership Institute, CA, USA

If you’ve taken a pregnancy test and it appears to be positive, you might be wondering what happens next. That’s where our due date calculator or due date predictor comes in.

By using some basic information about your last period and cycle length, our pregnancy calculator can help you work out your estimated due date (EDD — aka when you might meet your baby). This information is also useful if you’re thinking about the baby’s due date timings before you start trying to conceive.

Try using our EDD calculator now and then scroll down for more on how due dates (and pregnancy) are calculated, plus information on when you could have conceived and how far along you might be.

Note:

If you’ve already had your first ultrasound scan, you can use our Due Date by Ultrasound Calculator instead.
Or, if you have conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), you can use our IVF and FET Due Date Calculator.

How far along am I?

One of the first questions you’ll probably have after discovering that you’re pregnant is “How pregnant am I?” Interestingly, there are two ways to measure the age of a baby during pregnancy — gestational age vs fetal age — but health care providers generally use gestational age only because it’s deemed more accurate.

More on those below, but when you know how far into your pregnancy you are, you can get a clearer idea of your expected date of delivery. This is another name for a due date, meaning your EDD is the approximate date when labor is expected to begin. As we’ll explain if you scroll down, this date is really just an estimate, so you can expect to go into labor anytime in the two weeks before and after your due date.

How far along am I? Gestational age

To track pregnancy and calculate a due date, doctors use gestational age. Gestation is how long a person is pregnant in weeks, and gestational age is measured from the last menstrual period (LMP) — the first day of your last period — to the current date in weeks.

In general, pregnancies last anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks (or around 280 days). If a baby is born before 37 weeks, they are considered premature.

How far along am I? Fetal age

The other method of measurement is fetal age. While gestational age measures how far along a pregnancy is in weeks, fetal age is the actual age of the growing baby. To calculate this, you work out the amount of time from the date of conception (which is around two weeks later than your LMP in a 28-day cycle but varies depending on cycle length) to the current date in weeks. However, this is a far less common measurement for pregnancy because it’s often hard to pinpoint exactly when you ovulated (and therefore the moment of conception).

How is due date calculated?

Lots of us assume that a pregnancy is exactly nine months long, but that’s not the case. To work out how to calculate pregnancy weeks, there’s a little more to it.

“The nine months of a pregnancy are actually 40 weeks,” Dr. Charlsie Celestine, Flo board member, obstetrician, and gynecologist (OB-GYN), explains. “The due date is 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period. But some women can go beyond that to 41 weeks. ”

In fact, the first thing you’ll likely notice when you let your health care provider know you are pregnant is that pregnancy is calculated in weeks rather than months. And your baby’s estimated due date falls on the 40th week, when you’ll actually be around 10 months pregnant.

That’s to account for the fact that pregnancy is measured according to gestational age, not fetal age. So that means you count pregnancy from your LMP, not the date you conceived, adding an extra two weeks even though you weren’t technically pregnant then. Also, this method recognizes that not all months have the same number of days, so you’ll likely still be pregnant at nine months.

You might also see figures like 13/5 or 13+5 in your doctor notes. Pregnancy is counted in complete weeks, so 13/5, 13+5, or a variation of this would mean you’re 13 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Learn more about how you count pregnancy weeks here.

Your health care provider will usually calculate your due date based on one or a combination of the following methods, so let’s find out more about how they work.

How to calculate due date: Naegele’s rule

As we now know, the most commonly used method to calculate due date is to count “40 weeks from the first day of your LMP,” Dr. Celestine says, adding that this is usually done at your first appointment.

This method is also known as Naegele’s rule. “You calculate [EDD] using the first day of the last menstrual period [adding exactly one year to it], add seven days to that, and then subtract three months,” she explains.

It’s worth noting that this rule considers a regular menstrual cycle to be 28 days long, but it’s totally normal for a person’s cycle to vary from anywhere between 21 and 45 days. If your cycle lasts longer, the estimated due date will likely be later. If you have a shorter cycle, your due date may be earlier.

How to calculate due date: Period wheel

“More commonly, I use a pregnancy wheel using the first day of the menses [period],” says Dr. Celestine, explaining how she tends to work out the due date in her patients.

A pregnancy wheel or gestation calculator is a simple calendar that works out your EDD or baby’s birth date based on different inputs, such as your LMP. OB-GYNs can also use a pregnancy wheel as a pregnancy timeline calculator to work out when you’ll have certain scans and screenings, along with your trimester dates.

How to calculate due date: Ultrasound scan

As you’ve seen above, there are numerous ways to calculate an estimated due date — most involving the date your last period started. But an ultrasound scan in the first trimester is used to check that the dating based on the last menstrual period is correct. This is especially important if your period doesn’t always arrive at the same time each month.

“The LMP is compared to an ultrasound because some women have irregular cycles [and some can’t remember when their last period happened], so their LMP is not the most accurate,” Dr. Celestine explains.

“On ultrasound, I would measure the length of the fetus, called the ‘crown–rump length,’ in the first trimester to get the gestational age or due date. I then compare that date to the result I would get from just using the LMP.

“If the two dates are within five days of each other, and the pregnancy is less than nine weeks along, then we use the due date calculated by the period, not the ultrasound. But for a greater-than-five-day difference, we use the ultrasound.”

Already had your first ultrasound scan? Then you can use our Due Date by Ultrasound Calculator.

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Find out what you can do with our Health Assistant

While most OB-GYNs use a combination of Naegele’s rule and the pregnancy wheel to determine EDD — and then use an ultrasound to confirm it — there are some other theories and methods about how to calculate due date. However, it’s worth noting that none of the following are currently used by health care providers to work out the due date, as there’s a lack of scientific evidence behind them. The theories are as follows:

How to calculate due date: Mittendorf-Williams rule

One theory on how to calculate due date, also using LMP, is the Mittendorf-Williams rule. This is based on an old study from 1990, and there haven’t been any more recent studies to suggest it’s accurate, which is why health care professionals don’t commonly use it to predict EDD.

This rule is based on a decades-old study that showed that first pregnancies tend to be slightly longer (an average of 288 days from LMP), and for subsequent pregnancies, the delivery date is an average of 283 days from LMP. So …

First, determine the first day of your last menstrual period.
Next, count back three calendar months from that date.
Lastly, add 15 days to that date if it’s your first pregnancy or 10 days if it’s not your first pregnancy.

How to calculate due date: Parikh’s rule

Parikh’s rule is another theory that lacks scientific evidence to back it up, so medical practitioners don’t commonly use it to calculate due date either. The idea goes, however, that it can help predict due date in those who have irregular cycles. So, how does it work?

Loosely designed around Naegele’s rule, the expected date of delivery in Parikh’s rule is calculated by adding nine months to the date of your last menstrual period, subtracting 21 days, and then adding the duration of previous cycles. In short, use this formula:

LMP + 280 days – 21 days + the average length of previous cycles

How to calculate due date: Wood’s rule

Wood’s method considers the individual length of the menstrual cycle, as well as the number of pregnancies a person has experienced. However, there is also minimal research on this and its effectiveness. To work it out …

First, you calculate your expected due date. Do this using the following formulas.
- For first pregnancies: LMP + 12 months – (2 months and 14 days) = EDD
- For subsequent pregnancies: LMP + 12 months – (2 months and 18 days) = EDD
Then, you use the expected due date in the equations below.
- For cycles longer than 28 days: EDD + (actual length of cycle – 28 days) = EDD
- For cycles shorter than 28 days: EDD – (28 days – actual length of cycle) = EDD

How to calculate due date: Conception date

If your cycle runs like clockwork, and you were having sex to get pregnant at a specific time, then you might have an inkling that conception happened on a certain date. But Dr. Celestine says that the conception date “isn’t used medically to calculate due date” because it’s often not accurate.

That makes sense because we know sperm can live in the female body for up to five days, an egg can still be fertilized for up to 24 hours after its release from the ovary, and ovulation doesn’t always happen on the same day each month (you can find out when you’re likely to be ovulating each month using our online Ovulation Calculator). That means you can still get pregnant several days after you’ve had unprotected sex.

How to calculate due date if you’ve had IVF

If you’ve had IVF, then your baby’s due date is calculated slightly differently, depending on:

Whether you had a fresh or frozen embryo transfer
If you had a frozen transfer, the age of the embryo when it was frozen. For example, if it was frozen on day three, then you will be two weeks and three days pregnant on the date of transfer. For embryos frozen on day five, it’s two weeks and five days pregnant on the date of transfer. Your clinic will be able to explain more.

The good news is that IVF due dates are generally more accurate because you’ll know exactly when you had your embryo transfer or medically conceived, although no due date is 100% accurate. Use our IVF Due Date Calculator to work out when you could be due.

How accurate is due date?

There’s a lot that centers around it, so you’re probably wondering how likely it is that you’ll give birth on your due date. “The accuracy of the due date depends on how early in the pregnancy it was calculated and how predictable your menstrual cycle is,” Dr. Celestine explains.

“The earlier you see an OB-GYN to establish care for the pregnancy, the better, because the due date [from an ultrasound scan] is more accurate early in pregnancy compared to later. It’s rare for a baby to be born exactly on their due date [only around 4% of babies are]. Usually, delivery happens within a week before or after. But there are many babies also born prematurely, [along with] medical reasons why you might need to be induced for labor early, so it really depends on the individual.”

What day did I get pregnant?

As Dr. Celestine explains, it’s hard to predict the exact day you got pregnant (unless you’ve successfully conceived after fertility treatment).

“It’s all an estimate because it depends on the day you ovulated,” she says. “If you know your cycle length and it’s always the same, then usually midway through your cycle prior to pregnancy is when conception occurred. ”

Can my due date change?

Lots of people will calculate their due date as one of the first things they do after finding out they’re pregnant. And that’s useful for having a rough idea of when your baby will arrive, but it’s worth noting that this should be confirmed by your health care provider. They will use information about your last menstrual period, plus your first ultrasound, to work out your EDD, and once this has been calculated, it’s rare for your due date to change.

It’s so unusual for the due date to change after your first ultrasound scan because knowing the gestational age holds a lot of importance in monitoring the health of a pregnancy. “There are certain tests that need to be performed at certain gestational ages during a pregnancy,” Dr. Celestine explains. “Knowing how far along you are is also important for following the growth of the baby, when we can expect to deliver, and much, much more.”

Can I plan my due date?

Some people like to be organized, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But it can be quite tricky to plan a due date because there are so many factors at play with conception that you (and your partner) don’t have control over.

Nobody ever knows for certain when they will conceive. Even if you pinpoint your fertile window and have plenty of unprotected sex during that time, you still won’t know for certain whether or not that will be the month you get pregnant. That’s because so much of it is up to chance. For context, 45% of young couples (under 35) will conceive after three cycles, and 65% will get pregnant after six cycles. So while you might want to plan to have a baby in a certain month, all you can really do is try.

And even if you do manage to conceive at a time that gives you your ideal due date, remember that your EDD is just an estimate. Babies come on their own schedule. While the “average” pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the day of the last menstrual period, it is normal for babies to come anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks, so it’s best not to focus too much on a specific due date.

Due date tracking with Flo

Whether you’re currently pregnant or trying to work out when you’d be due if you got pregnant today, Flo can help. Use our Trying to Conceive mode to optimize your chances of getting pregnant by tracking your periods, which can help to identify your most fertile days. Alternatively, switch to Pregnancy Mode to get week-by-week updates for both your body and your baby.

Try some of Flo's other online tools, including our hCG calculator, our pregnancy test calculator, and our period calculator.

References

“Extremely Preterm Birth.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/extremely-preterm-birth. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.

“Heavy and Abnormal Periods.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/heavy-and-abnormal-periods. Accessed 30 Aug. 2022.

“How Long Does Pregnancy Last?” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/ask-acog/how-long-does-pregnancy-last. Accessed 13 July 2022.

Jukic, A. M., et al. “Length of Human Pregnancy and Contributors to Its Natural Variation.” Human Reproduction, vol. 28, no. 10, Oct. 2013, pp. 2848–55.

Khedri, Parichehr, et al. “Comparison of the First Trimester Ultrasound and Parikh’s Formula in Determining the Expected Date of Delivery: A Prospective Study.” BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, vol. 21, 30. Apr. 2021, jbrms.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-152-en.pdf.

Mittendorf, R., et al. “Predictors of Human Gestational Length.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 168, no. 2, Feb. 1993, pp. 480–84.

Morgan, John A., and Danielle B. Cooper. “Pregnancy Dating.” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 2021.

“Screening Tests in Pregnancy.” NHS, www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/your-pregnancy-care/screening-tests/. Accessed 13 July 2022.

Angarsk Perinatal Center: Pregnancy Calendar

Regardless of whether this is your first pregnancy or you already have a child and are expecting another one, an exciting period of life is coming for you. You began to feel the birth and development of a new life within yourself.

Calculation of due date

In most cases, women do not know the exact date of conception, but they can tell exactly when the last menstrual cycle began. This is the point from which pregnancy is usually counted. For most women, the most likely period of fertilization (ovulation) lies in the middle of their monthly cycle, in other words, two weeks before the start of the next menstrual cycle.

Based on this date, the pregnancy lasts about 280 days, or 40 weeks, from the start of the last menstrual period. So you can get your estimated due date by adding 280 days to the date you started bleeding in your last cycle. The same result can be obtained by adding 7 days to the date of the last menstrual period and subtracting 3 months. For example, if your last period started on February 20, then your due date is expected to be November 27.

This calculation of pregnancy determines the so-called gestational, or menstrual, age of the fetus. It is on this “calendar” that doctors and nurses will track the development of the fetus. Gestational age is different from ovulation, or fertilization, age, which is two weeks earlier and is counted from the actual date of conception.

Many people calculate their pregnancy in weeks. This is the easiest and most convenient way to avoid confusion. For example, if your doctor says that you are 10 weeks pregnant (remember that the count is from the start of your last menstrual period), then you conceived about 8 weeks ago and will go into labor in 30 weeks because your total pregnancy is 40 weeks.

There is also a large unit of measurement - trimester. The trimesters divide the pregnancy into three phases. Each such phase, lasting 13 weeks, has its own characteristics.

You may also have heard of another unit of time, the lunar month. It corresponds to the cycle of lunar phases and is 28 days. The full gestation period, equal to 280 days, is 10 lunar months.

The calendar is based on a 42-week pregnancy schedule. The expected time of labor (ETD) is at the end of the 40th week. This way you will know the age of the developing fetus at any point during the pregnancy.

It is important to understand that the RID is an estimate, not a precise date. Only one woman in 20 gives birth on the exact day0 percent of women give birth a week earlier or a week later. Therefore, one cannot rely on the date of the OVR. It may turn out that it will come, and the child will not be born for some time. Consider this date as a guideline - a deadline for which you must prepare.

There is no fundamental difference how to count the time of pregnancy. Still, the process will not go faster. It will continue as long as nature allotted. After all, a miracle happens - a new life grows and develops in your body!

Your menstrual cycle

You estimate that your menstrual cycle probably ends at the beginning of the second week of pregnancy or a few days earlier. The usual interval between periods is 28 days, but they can occur after 21 and even after 35 days , and there is nothing abnormal in this. Actually menstruation in most cases lasts from 4 to 6 days. Discharge from the uterus is a mixture of sloughed uterine mucosa and blood. Clotted blood clots may also appear. On average, during menstruation, a woman loses 25-60 ml of blood. Blood loss can be different for different women, and for one woman it can change from one cycle to another.

Two important biological cycles occur almost simultaneously in a woman's body. As a result of the ovulation cycle (ovulation), a mature egg appears, ready for fertilization, and during the endometrial cycle, the uterine wall is prepared for implantation of the fertilized cell. Both cycles are closely related to each other because endometrial changes are regulated by hormones that are released in the ovary.

The normal alternation of the ovulation and menstrual cycles (with the production of one egg for fertilization) is the rule, not the exception. Some women experience uneven cycles of egg production. Such cycles can take place without ovulation. This is quite rare compared to regular and predictable menstrual cycles and hormonal changes.

Your body produces many hormones, including follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, as well as estrogen, progesterone and androgens (testosterone) from the ovary.

The natural purpose of the ovulation cycle is to produce an egg for fertilization. The body of a newly born girl contains about 2 million eggs. Their number is reduced to about 400 thousand by the beginning of puberty. But the maximum number of eggs is formed even before birth. When a fetus is only 5 months old (4 months before birth), it contains approximately 6.8 million eggs.

During the ovulation cycle, 20 or more follicles may begin the process leading to ovulation. And only one of them, bursting, can turn into a mature egg. Before the onset of ovulation, this follicle approaches the wall of the ovary, which becomes progressively thinner. At the time of ovulation, an egg is formed at the site of the burst follicle. The place of rupture of the follicle on the wall of the ovary is called the stigma.

Some women (approximately 25 percent) experience lower abdominal pain or discomfort on the day of ovulation or the next day. It is believed that they are caused by irritation of the ovary with fluid or blood of the follicle when it bursts. Pain is not necessarily felt with every cycle. By the presence or absence of this symptom, one can judge whether ovulation has occurred or not.

Most often, a woman becomes pregnant in the middle of the menstrual cycle, on the 12th-14th day from the beginning of the last menstruation. However, the beginning of the last menstruation is considered to be the starting point of ten obstetric months, or forty weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, we will start talking about the features of the development of the fetus from the third week of pregnancy, that is, after the moment of conception.

FIRST TRIMESTER	SECOND TRIMESTER	THIRD TRIMESTER
1st week	15th week	29th week
2nd week	16th week	30th week
3rd week	17th week	31st week
4th week	18th week	32nd week
5th week	19th week	33rd week
6th week	20th week	34th week
7th week	21st week	35th week
8th week	22nd week	36th week
9th week	23rd week	37th week
10th week	24th week	38th week
11th week	25th week	39th week
12th week	26th week	40th week
13th week	27th week	41st week
14th week	28th week	42nd week

How to determine the gestational age | Center for Fetal Medicine at Chistye Prudy

Methods for determining the duration of pregnancy
Embryonic term
Obstetric term
By last menstrual period
By ovulation date or conception date
According to the size of the uterus
Ultrasound
According to the level of hCG in the blood
By the first movement of the fetus

Here is a pregnancy test showed the cherished two strips, the expectant mother is in a hurry to register in the antenatal clinic. The first thing that an obstetrician-gynecologist determines when registering is the gestational age. This indicator is extremely important in order to understand whether the pregnancy is proceeding correctly and the baby is developing, when it is necessary to take tests and undergo additional examinations, when to go on maternity leave and wait for the baby to be born.

It is also very important to know the exact gestational age for screening for the presence of genetic abnormalities in the fetus (ultrasound and blood tests), since these examinations are carried out strictly at certain times of pregnancy.

Turning to an obstetrician-gynecologist, many expectant mothers begin to worry about the difference in terms of pregnancy - what the doctor calculated and the woman herself. In order not to worry in vain, you need to know that there are 2 stages of pregnancy - obstetric and embryonic.

Fetal term

This is the true gestational age from conception, it usually lags behind the obstetric term by about 2 weeks.

Obstetric term

Doctors determine it from the first day of the last menstruation before pregnancy. It should be remembered that all doctors use only the obstetric term, all test results, the size of the fetus, the timing of examinations, maternity leave and the term of delivery are calculated taking into account only the obstetric term of pregnancy.

There are several ways to determine the gestational age.

Determination of the gestational age by the date of the last menstrual period

This is the most common method of calculating the gestational age. However, it can only be used if a woman's menstruation comes regularly at the same interval.

It is not always possible to accurately calculate the duration of pregnancy, guided only by the date of the last menstrual period. This happens in cases where a woman has irregular menstruation or in those patients who have a regular but long menstrual cycle. For example, if a woman has a typical cycle length of 35 days (and not 26 - 28, like most women), then most likely she will only be able to conceive on about the 21st day of the cycle (and not on the 14th, as on a 28 day cycle). Accordingly, the period calculated by menstruation will exceed the “real” obstetric gestational age by a week.

According to the date of ovulation or the date of conception

If the date of conception is known, two weeks must be added to this date - we will get the obstetric gestational age. However, it must be remembered that even if a woman knows exactly the date of ovulation or the date of sexual intercourse, after which pregnancy occurred, this does not mean that she absolutely knows the date of conception.

A spermatozoon that has entered the female body is capable of fertilization within 4-5 days, sometimes even within a week, and a mature egg retains the ability to conceive for 2 days after ovulation. Therefore, even knowing exactly the date of sexual intercourse or ovulation, it is impossible to say with accuracy that fertilization occurred on that day. It could have happened later. Therefore, the period calculated by ovulation or the date of conception cannot be considered completely accurate.

Doctors calculate the gestational age in a slightly different way in cases where pregnancy has occurred as a result of IVF. In this case, the fertilization of the egg by the spermatozoon is carried out "in vitro" by the embryologist. Embryos develop in the laboratory for 3-5 days, after which they are transferred to the uterus.

Doctors calculate the true duration of pregnancy after IVF from the date of ovarian puncture, that is, the stage of the procedure, when the follicular fluid and the follicles contained in it are taken with a special needle for subsequent fertilization “in vitro”, and to determine the “usual” obstetric period , add 2 weeks in the date of ovarian puncture.

If the transfer of the embryo into the uterus was preceded by its cryopreservation (that is, freezing in liquid nitrogen), to determine the exact gestational age, doctors add 5 days to the transfer date (this is the number of days the embryo develops before freezing), and to determine the obstetric period, to the received true date add 2 weeks.

According to the size of the uterus

Examining a woman in a gynecological chair, an obstetrician-gynecologist uses both hands to determine the size of the uterus. In this case, you can also determine the approximate gestational age.

This method is most accurate in early pregnancy, up to about 12 weeks. The earliest period that can be determined by the size of the uterus is 5 weeks of pregnancy. By this time, the uterus is slightly enlarged, softened and becomes rounded. At later dates, the size of the uterus may vary slightly depending on the size of the fetus, the amount of amniotic fluid, and the structure of the woman's pelvis. For example, it is believed that at 16 weeks the bottom of the uterus is located in the middle of the distance between the pubis and the navel, at 24 weeks of pregnancy the bottom of the uterus is at the level of the navel.

Ultrasound

In the early stages of pregnancy, by measuring the size of the ovum and embryo, the gestational age can be determined with great accuracy.

At 4-5 weeks in the uterus with ultrasound, a small “black circle” is determined - this is a fetal egg, in which an embryo will appear a little later. At about 6-7 weeks, the embryo appears in the form of a small “stripe” and you can see its heartbeat. More accurate is the period calculated by measuring the KTP of the embryo (KTP is the coccygeal-parietal size, that is, the maximum distance from the head end of the fetus to its tailbone), and not by the diameter of the fetal egg.

After 12 weeks, the gestational age during ultrasound is determined according to the so-called fetometry, that is, measurements of various sizes of the head and abdomen of the fetus, length of arms, legs, heart sizes, etc. are used to calculate the term.

Up to 9-10 weeks of pregnancy, the embryo grows proportionally, and its size in all women with the same gestational age will be approximately identical. In the future, the size of the fetus will differ in expectant mothers of different nationalities, with different body weights, the weight of the mother and father at birth will matter, and so on. That is, in the later stages of pregnancy, normally developing children of the same term may have different sizes (fluctuations can be about 2 weeks, sometimes more), and in such a situation, it is impossible to reliably determine the gestational age according to ultrasound data. In the later stages, the determination of the gestational age by ultrasound is only clarifying. In addition, the lag in the size of the fetus during ultrasound at long gestations is most often regarded by doctors as a developmental disorder due to the fact that the placenta does not transport oxygen and nutrients well enough.

At the Fetal Medicine Center in Moscow, all types of ultrasound during pregnancy are performed at an expert level, including ultrasound in early pregnancy.

Our center is organized in such a way that the whole range of services is concentrated in one place, where a woman receives the results of various types of examinations, including ultrasound, biochemical, and specialist consultation within 1-1. 5 hours.

Blood hCG level

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone released during pregnancy by the placenta. It begins to be produced with the onset of pregnancy, gradually its amount increases, until about the 11th week of pregnancy, and then begins to decrease slightly.

Determining the concentration of hCG in the blood in the early stages of pregnancy helps to accurately determine the period. Having received the results of a blood test for hCG, it is worth paying attention that in the laboratory tables of the correspondence of the hormone level to the gestational age, the embryonic period is often indicated, that is, to determine the usual obstetric gestational age, 2 weeks should be added to the result.

Recently, tests have appeared to determine the duration of pregnancy by urine. They also determine the concentration of the hCG hormone in the urine of a pregnant woman and, in addition to confirming the very fact of pregnancy, show what period the hormone content corresponds to. The only thing to remember is that urine tests also show the fetal gestational age.

The Fetal Medicine Center performs all types of tests for pregnant women.

Determining the term of pregnancy by the first movement of the fetus

This method of determining the term has recently been used less and less. It is based on the fact that nulliparous women begin to feel the first movements of the baby at 20 weeks of gestation, multiparous women a little earlier - at 18 weeks. That is why obstetrician-gynecologists recommend that a woman remember the date of the first movement of the fetus and enter this data into the exchange card.

However, this method of determining gestational age is often erroneous.

A mother who is expecting her first child, indeed, most often begins to feel the movements of the fetus a little later than a multiparous woman. This is due to the fact that "experienced" mothers know how the movements of the crumbs are felt at first and what they should feel.

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