Perhaps you are excited, joyful, you are overwhelmed with delight, your emotions are off the charts and you want to shout about this fantastic news to the whole world. Or perhaps you are confused, and this pregnancy has appeared a complete surprise for you. Perhaps you are a sophisticated mother of three or four children, or maybe you are just preparing to learn this sacrament. In any case, we are ready to provide you with invaluable support, spend these unforgettable forty weeks with you, discover for you new facets of your condition that you didn’t even know about, or become guides and give you the experience through which you will understand that pregnancy This is the best state in a woman’s life, and this time can be spent interestingly, fun and with health benefits - for you and your baby!
Pregnancy lasts approximately 9 months, or 40 weeks, or 280 days. But it’s correct to calculate your gestational age - by week! Obstetricians-gynecologists begin counting the pregnancy period from the first day of the last menstruation, since determining the exact date of conception is difficult in most cases. This is called the obstetric stage of pregnancy. The embryonic period is 14 days shorter, since conception occurs at the time of ovulation. To avoid confusion, doctors start counting only by the obstetric stage of pregnancy, i.e. from the first day of your last menstruation. Enter the date of the start of your last menstruation at the top of the page, and our calendar will calculate your obstetric gestational age, your estimated date of birth (DOD), tell you how many days have already passed and how many remain.
📅 Every week our pregnancy calendar will automatically change and show up-to-date information for your term. We also advise you to keep your pregnancy diary on our website, where you can monitor your weight - weight gain graphs will help you with this. You can also record important events for you - visits to obstetricians, the date of the first movement, ultrasound data, or add photos of your tummy at different times!
It's always nice to have colleagues in any business! Likewise, during pregnancy it’s worth starting to communicate with expectant mothers, and it’s especially interesting if they have the same pregnancy period as you. You can discuss any events, prepare together for childbirth, choose maternity hospitals, buy things for babies and arrange rooms for children. Believe me, you will learn a lot of new things and such a relationship may even develop into a warm friendship. The geography of communication between pregnant women is quite extensive; you will probably be interested to know how expectant mothers live in other cities and even countries! To do this - join ours!
Intrauterine development of a child by week
What will our pregnancy calendar give you? All pregnant women, even those for whom this is not the first experience, are interested in knowing what is happening in the baby inside you. You will know when a baby is called an embryo, and when a fetus, when his arms and legs appear, when his heart begins to beat and he hears your voice for the first time, and also when you finally find out if he is a boy or a girl! The calendar shows all the stages of a child’s development week by week. For example, you can track your child's height and weight each week.
Find out what your child looks like every week of his development.
Each week you will be presented with unique photographs taken in utero by Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson.
This talented photographer took his first unique photographs back in 1965. He spent ten years filming the evolution of the embryo from conception to birth.
He invented various devices and achieved his goal in one of the Stockholm clinics by adapting a microcamera and a microilluminator to the end of a cystoscope tube. Withdrawn thousands unique shots right in the bowels of the uterus and now you can monitor how your baby is developing week after week!
Changes in a woman's body by week
What new things can you learn about yourself? It’s no secret that a woman’s body will change every week. In the calendar, for each week of pregnancy, you will learn about what is happening inside you, how all your organs adapt to the needs of the growing uterus, how the brain manages and controls your pregnancy.Belly growth by week
Probably all women are interested in comparing their belly with the bellies of other mothers at the same stage of pregnancy. Every new week you will see wonderful photos of expectant mothers, which we have selected especially for you!
Here you can get a sufficient amount of information on almost all issues that interest you. From that - “Why do I run to the toilet so often?” to “Which side is better to sleep on during pregnancy?” and “Can pregnant women wear heels?” You will understand how to eat right, what daily routine to follow, what to wear, how to cope with toxicosis, when to pack your bag for the maternity hospital, what to buy for a newborn and much, much more! 
Pregnancy is a time when you shouldn’t interrupt sports, you just need to redirect them in the right direction, or if you’ve never thought about it before, it’s time to start exercising healthy image life. You can start doing yoga for pregnant women and special gymnastics using the video lessons presented in the calendar.
Medical reference
The calendar provides you with the medical information you need so you can correctly understand the signals your body is sending you. You will find out what awaits you at your doctor's appointment, understand why these checks are necessary and what questions to ask the doctor or midwife. You will be able to schedule visits to various specialists, even if your ailment previously seemed minor to you. Remember, now you are responsible not only for yourself, but also for another small life and you simply need to take more care of yourself in order to prevent possible complications. Every new week you will find a new description of your baby’s ultrasound norms, as well as an exciting video of this study.
Most of the fair sex are looking forward to the two coveted stripes. And so, as soon as they find out that everything worked out, they have a question: from what day is pregnancy considered? Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to determine this accurately down to the day. The only exception is continuous monitoring of ovulation. But it is carried out only during infertility. But there are other ways that help in more or less correctly calculating the gestational age. This is medical research calendar methods, gynecological examinations... Let's figure out what the existing types of determining the period are interesting situation women.
We count carefully
Some people believe that the stork's waiting period represents the amount of time that passes from the moment of conception. This point of view holds because it is quite true. Only in this case does this mean the embryonic period. Usually its duration is 38 weeks. But the little one may ask to come into this world a little earlier or a little later.
Modern medicine takes into account not the embryonic period of pregnancy, but the obstetric period. Its peculiarity is that the first day of the last menstruation is used for counting. This will be the first day of pregnancy. When a woman registers, the doctor enters exactly this date on the exchange card and relies on it when calculating the period.
It is known that ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle. Because of this, it becomes clear from what day doctors consider pregnancy. And therefore, the difference between the obstetric and embryonic stages of pregnancy is exactly two weeks (the first period is longer than the second). In the first seven days, the egg begins its maturation and preparation for fertilization.
Oh, these forty weeks!
Typically pregnancy lasts 40 obstetric weeks. But the appearance of a baby between the 38th and 42nd weeks is also considered the norm. Formally, a pregnancy can be considered premature or post-term, but in reality, birth occurs at the time set by nature - exactly on time. Here, of course, the question arises: from what day is pregnancy considered? And such interest is understandable, because the discrepancy in the dates lies in the fact that the calculated obstetric period is very average. It can coincide with the embryonic one only when the baby is conceived in the middle of the 28-day cycle. And this is provided that the cycle before pregnancy was regular.
In addition to the usual calculations using a calendar, the doctor can set a deadline, taking into account the data ultrasound diagnostics. This will be possible only if the future toddler develops according to all stages of pregnancy.
If the expectant mother believes that conception did not occur in the middle of the cycle, as happens in most cases, but shortly before its end or at the beginning, she must inform her gynecologist about this. Then the doctor will adjust his calculations in order to determine the PDA (preliminary date of birth) as accurately as possible.
Calendar method
This method is designed to control every sexual act. If the union of bodies does not occur very often, then the woman will definitely understand on what day fertilization occurred. Some potential mothers have accustomed themselves to measuring their basal temperature. If they have learned to use the chart correctly, they should tell their doctor about the day they have withdrawn. Based on this information, the doctor will set an approximate date with an error of two weeks.
From what day is pregnancy considered in this case? The error is based on the fact that people in white coats take into account only the obstetric period, the peculiarity of which is its dependence on the first day of the last menstruation. This is a very accurate technique, and the due date is determined within a week. And you can calculate it using a simple formula, probably known to many: the actual day of fertilization + 280 days. Or subtract three months from the day of conception and add seven days. If the potential mother knows the exact day of her ovulation, then only 264 days need to be added to the day of conception. This will also be the correct result.
Such a familiar and promising ultrasound
For many years, ultrasound radiation has been used in medicine to monitor fetal development. After all, every expectant mother is very concerned about the question of how to correctly count pregnancy. And with the help of ultrasound, you can calculate both the approximate date of conception and childbirth. To get a more accurate result, doctors recommend examining a pregnant woman in the first 8 weeks. It is at this stage that each fetus develops in exactly the same way. The term is determined by its size.
But further development of each future little one occurs strictly individually. Body parts and organs may develop more slowly or faster than the diagrams suggest. From this we can draw a simple conclusion: the shorter the gestational age, the better and more effective the examination’s response will be. The doctor checks the result with the data in the table and verifies the week of pregnancy. If an ultrasound reveals a delay in fetal development, a diagnosis of this will be made. And the only thing that can speed up the development of the little one at least a little is that the expectant mother will be very attentive to her health.
At an appointment with a gynecologist
Some women make the mistake of coming to see a gynecologist on the first day of a delay, hoping that only he can answer whether pregnancy has occurred or not, and if the answer is positive, determine the first day of pregnancy. But at this moment it is impossible to determine this. Yes, the uterus will be slightly enlarged, but this may be due to future menstruation. And its increase, associated with the beginning of a new life, will occur only after the second or third week of the delay. The size of the uterus at this stage will be the size of a chicken egg. The peculiarity of examinations by a gynecologist is the same as that of an ultrasound: the shorter the period, the more accurately the exact date of conception will be determined.
Pregnancy with IVF
The number of women who decide to undergo artificial insemination is increasing every day. This method assumes that the egg will be combined with the sperm, after which specialists will observe them for several days. And here a woman who is subjecting herself to such a procedure has the right to ask from what day to count pregnancy during IVF. And everything is simpler than it might seem: the embryo is transferred no earlier than three to five days later. This is when pregnancy begins.
If a woman has a short cycle, the obstetric period is set from the day of her last menstruation. And if it’s long, then there will be some features. The potential mother will begin to take medications that block the activity of the ovaries (their stimulation will begin later). Therefore, if you count from the last menstruation, then in real life the development of the fetus will be 3-4 weeks, and the calculated period is 7-8 weeks. Therefore, there is no problem understanding from what day pregnancy is considered - from conception or implantation. Gynecologists count precisely from the day the embryo is implanted into the woman’s body.
Getting ready to give birth to a healthy baby
Instead of arguing with the doctor about the situation, from what day people in white coats count pregnancy, to the expectant mother it is better to direct all your attention and care to new life, which grows in it. After all, for the development of the baby, not only the physical health of the mother is important, but also the psychological one. A woman should try to experience more positive emotions, breathe more often fresh air, eat more plant-based foods, eating plenty of seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Pregnancy is one of the most joyful moments in the life of every woman. She needs to try not to spoil her joy from expecting a baby. The expectant mother should simply enjoy her current situation, rest more and remember that the child is happy only when his mother is happy.
Why do pregnant women and doctors need to know what stage of pregnancy it is? Firstly, to determine the due date, secondly, to adequately monitor the baby’s development, correcting possible developmental delays in a timely manner, and thirdly, to determine the date of maternity leave.
I would like to make a reservation right away that there is a difference between obstetric and true pregnancy periods. Obstetricians begin to count the gestational age from the 1st day of the last menstruation. This is quite justified, because from this moment the egg begins to mature, which will later be fertilized by a sperm, a zygote will be formed and implanted in the uterus, and will begin to develop ovum with the embryo and then the fetus (after 12 weeks of pregnancy). The duration of pregnancy from the first day of the last menstruation until childbirth is about 10 lunar months or 280 days or 40 weeks. However, each fruit has its own term intrauterine development- from 37 to 42 weeks. This depends on many factors, but is primarily determined genetically. It is necessary to ask at what stage of pregnancy the patient herself, the father of the child was born, and until what period the pregnancy of the maternal relative was carried to term.
The true pregnancy period lags behind the obstetric date by two weeks - it is counted from the day of ovulation and conception. Thus, to determine obstetric period You need to add two weeks to your actual pregnancy.
How to find out the gestational age by ovulation and date of conception
Ovulation is the very period of the menstrual cycle when conception of a child can occur. During ovulation from a woman's ovary fallopian tube a mature egg is released and “waits” for sperm there. Unprotected sexual intercourse at such a time is more or less healthy woman and men will most likely lead to pregnancy. The date of ovulation is used to determine the duration of pregnancy.
A woman ovulates around the middle of her menstrual cycle (but not every month). If your menstrual cycle is 28 days, then ovulation will occur somewhere on the 14th day, with a 35-day menstrual cycle - on the 17-18th day of the cycle. Exact date pregnancy should be counted starting from the day of ovulation.
Ovulation can also be determined at home, using special tests sold in almost any pharmacy, or by regularly measuring basal temperature (temperature in the rectum). Throughout the first half of the cycle it will remain at approximately the same level - below 37 degrees. The day before ovulation it will decrease slightly. And on the day of ovulation and on all subsequent days you will maintain a level of 37-37.2 degrees. Thus, you can calculate the duration of pregnancy (), if it began in the menstrual cycle when you determined your ovulation.
There are women who can determine their ovulation without any tests or temperature measurements, simply by subjective sensations - pain in the lower abdomen, increased libido, increased amount of vaginal discharge. It is easy for such sensitive women to determine the duration of pregnancy on their own.
The most accurate way to determine the gestational age by the date of ovulation is an ultrasound. This is the only way to accurately see ovulation. But it’s problematic to go for an ultrasound every day for a week, or even longer. And financially, such “pleasure” will not be available to every woman. Trying to determine your ovulation only so that you can later accurately calculate the duration of your pregnancy is inappropriate. There are more simple ways calculating the gestational age already, in fact, after the onset of an interesting situation.
The number of days (weeks) at the time of examination of the pregnant woman is counted from the first date of the last menstruation. To determine the day of birth, add 280 days (10 lunar months) to the first day of the last menstruation or use the Naegele formula: subtract 3 months from the start date of the last menstruation and add 7 days. This method cannot be used in women with irregular menstrual cycle.
Determining the gestational age by gynecological examination.
If you come for an examination to a gynecologist in the first weeks of pregnancy (at 3-4 weeks), then it will not be difficult for the doctor to accurately determine the gestational age. IN in this case based on the size of the uterus. For example, at 4 weeks of pregnancy the size of the uterus can be compared to a chicken egg, at 8 weeks - to a goose egg. An experienced gynecologist is able to determine the gestational age through a vaginal examination with an accuracy of one day. It will be difficult to accurately determine the gestational age beyond 8-12 weeks simply based on the size of the uterus. Since starting from the second trimester of pregnancy, the size of the uterus may differ in women at the same stage of pregnancy.
Determination of gestational age by ultrasound.
Of course, here, as with the previous method, much depends on the qualifications of the doctor who interprets the results. Ultrasound data obtained before the 12th week of pregnancy are considered the most correct for determining the date of expected birth. At this stage, determining the gestational age is based on measuring the fetal egg and its average internal diameter.
In the second and third trimesters, the gestational age is determined based on the determination of such parameters as fetal head circumference, average diameter chest and fetal tummy, fetal abdominal circumference. The most reliable information is considered to be obtained by measuring the circumference of the baby's head.
However, in general it is believed that late dates During pregnancy, the error in determining the due date using ultrasound increases. This is understandable: after all, each child develops individually, and at the end of pregnancy, the size of the fetus, which the doctor focuses on in his calculations, can vary significantly depending on the characteristics of a particular child.
With all the variety of methods for determining the date of the upcoming birth, there is no one “absolutely accurate” method, as we have already said. Therefore, we can say that a more or less accurate determination of the date of the upcoming birth is possible if all the data obtained are not contradictory, but complement and reinforce each other.
Although even in this case, the date of birth may shift by one or two weeks in one direction or another due to the fact that term birth (that is, birth at term) can occur in the period from 38 to 42 weeks of pregnancy.
Determining the gestational age by the first movement.
Primipara women begin to feel the first movements of the baby at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Multiparous women a little earlier - at 18 weeks. Gynecologists recommend that a woman remember the date of her first movement and be sure to include it in the pregnant woman’s dispensary card. This is of great importance when determining the due date of pregnancy and childbirth. For example, in order to determine the date of birth, it is necessary to add 20 weeks (or 4.5 months) to the date of the first movement; for multiparous women, it is necessary to add 18 weeks or 5 months.
But this method of determining the gestational age is not always correct. There are women who, even in their first pregnancy, feel the baby’s movements much earlier due date at 20 weeks, at 17 weeks, or even earlier. Such early movements are especially often observed in skinny women. There are women who feel the first movements 2 weeks later than expected.
Doctors have their own opinion about such early movements and setting the gestational age based on them. Most experts believe that women before the due date do not feel the baby’s movements at all, but the “work” of the intestines. After all, as you know, most pregnant women suffer from increased gas formation...
Determination of gestational age by measuring the length of the uterus and fetus.
You can calculate the gestational age in a more complex way. Only a gynecologist can make such a calculation. You are unlikely to succeed on your own. So, in order to measure the length of the uterus, a woman lies down on the couch and straightens her legs. It is necessary to empty it first bladder, otherwise errors in determination are possible the right time pregnancy. The length of the uterus is measured using a measuring tape or pelvis gauge. Usually the length of the uterus is equal to the number of weeks. For example, the length of the uterus is 36 cm, which means the gestational age is also 36 weeks.
Gestational age- one of the main components that a gynecologist needs to know about for proper management of pregnancy. After all, on the basis of this, the doctor will prescribe the necessary examinations, tests, routine ultrasounds, monitor intrauterine growth and development of the fetus, and identify possible violations. In addition, determining the due date allows you to quite accurately calculate the date of birth and the date maternity leave. It is necessary for the woman herself to know the duration of her pregnancy in order to mentally prepare for childbirth, have time to prepare a room or corner for the unborn baby, and purchase everything for him necessary supplies and clothes.
In this article we will look at how to determine the duration of pregnancy.
Calculate by monthly
A woman who came to register with antenatal clinic, the gynecologist first asks the question about when her last period began. It is from this date that he begins to keep a record, despite the fact that fertilization has not yet occurred at this time. It is known that fertilization of the egg occurs on the day of ovulation, which occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. This method of determining the gestational age is called “obstetric”.
An online calculator will help determine the period:
How to determine by date of conception
It is known that conception occurs only during ovulation within 24 hours after the egg leaves the follicle. And the viability of sperm in the female genital tract is up to 3 days. It turns out that the date of sexual intercourse does not always coincide with the date of conception.
Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. A woman who monitors her menstrual cycle can quite accurately calculate the onset of ovulation. In addition, many people at this time have characteristic features: aching pain in the lower abdomen, breast swelling, irritability, copious discharge from the vagina, increased sexual desire.
It is worth noting that only those women who have a regular menstrual cycle can determine the gestational age by the date of conception.
Online calculator:
(calculation will take a few seconds)
How to calculate using ultrasound
It is possible to find out the gestational age using the results of an ultrasound examination (ultrasound). It is determined according to the size of the fetus. The first ultrasound of the expectant mother is performed at 12-14 weeks, but at this time it is no longer possible to accurately determine the period, since the development of the fetus occurs individually in each woman. It is possible to find out the age of the fetus by ultrasound with an accuracy of one day only in the first weeks after conception.
Determination during examination by a gynecologist
A gynecologist can determine a woman's gestational age by the size of her uterus during a gynecological examination. At 5-6 weeks, the size of the uterus can be compared to chicken egg, at 8 weeks - with a goose egg. Later, it will be more difficult to determine how many weeks a woman has based on the size of her uterus.
Find out the due date by the first fetal movement
In the first pregnancy, a woman begins to feel fetal movements at 20 weeks, in the second - at 18 weeks. But this method does not always allow one to determine the period, since some expectant mothers may feel the first movements of the fetus earlier or later than the indicated weeks - some, due to the structural features of the body, cannot feel the movements of the fetus, others confuse the work of the intestines ( increased gas formation) with movements.
Determine by hCG
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)- one of the most important indicators indicating the onset of pregnancy and its normal development. The hormone begins to be produced in the female body after implantation of the embryo into the wall of the uterus. HCG level in the blood allows you to find out the approximate age of the fetus. With multiple pregnancies, the level of the hormone in the blood increases in proportion to the number of fetuses.
| Week of pregnancy | HCG level, honey/ml |
| 1 - 2 | 25 - 156 |
| 2 - 3 | 101 - 4870 |
| 3 - 4 | 1110 - 31500 |
| 4 - 5 | 2560 - 82300 |
| 5 - 6 | 23100 - 151000 |
| 6 - 7 | 27300 - 233000 |
| 7 - 11 | 20900 - 291000 |
| 11 - 16 | 6140 - 103000 |
| 16 - 24 | 4720 - 80100 |
| 21 - 39 | 2700 - 78100 |
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To create an individual pregnancy calendar, use the form below. All you have to do is enter the date of conception or last menstruation. You will receive an accurate calculation by week, with detailed description child development and medical recommendations by date. Monitor your baby’s development online, send a link to the calendar to your email or print it out.
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