• Calculate which month of pregnancy is based on the last menstruation. Ways to calculate gestational age

    06.08.2019

    Online calculator pregnancy will help you calculate the duration of pregnancy, determine the expected date of birth, calculate the age of the fetus, find out when the end of the first and second trimester will occur. The pregnancy calculator is a free service. Depending on the individual organism, some data may not match.

    Each pregnant woman keeps her own calendar, where she records all the changes that happen to her during pregnancy. However, the modern pace and a lot of worries about the family do not always allow you to track on your own which week of pregnancy is going on and how the baby should develop. A pregnancy calendar comes to the aid of busy mothers: this Full description all the changes occurring at this stage with mother and baby. Thanks to this, a woman can easily track how much the baby weighs, what she should feel, and what problems await her. But to find out how the child develops, you need to determine what stage of pregnancy a woman has.

    First day of last menstruation:

    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2018 2 019 2020

    Average cycle length (days):

    22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

    Calculation results

    — Estimated date of conception

    — Fetal age

    - Gestational age

    How to find out the time of conception?

    Traditionally, to determine the current stage of pregnancy, a woman comes to antenatal clinic in the clinic. The doctor conducts an examination,, if necessary, prescribes an ultrasound and is guided by the last menstruation in setting the due date. Based on this date, a calculation is made of when the mother should give birth.

    But it is worth warning women that such a calculation will not always tell you the exact day of birth. In medicine, there are two terms for determining pregnancy: obstetric and real. What is their difference?

    The obstetric term helps determine when the gestational age began, based on the date of the last menstrual period. In this case, the date of conception is not taken into account, since it is unknown to the doctor. The doctor proceeds from the idea of ​​a woman’s standard menstrual cycle, which lasts 28 days. Therefore, conception could occur during ovulation on the 14th day after the start of the cycle. It turns out that the difference between the obstetric period and the embryonic period is 2, or even 3 weeks.

    You can find out the real period more accurately if you undergo an ultrasound. However, ultrasound is prescribed no earlier than 10-12 obstetric weeks, and the woman’s curiosity is much stronger.

    How can you find out your gestational age yourself, so that you can later rely on the calendar?

    To do this, it is advisable to know the date of conception or at least possible days when this could happen. If you can't set the date, you can use reusable pregnancy tests. The devices are equipped with sensors that determine the duration of pregnancy. The error of such devices is small.

    You can calculate the gestational age yourself, based on the obstetric calculation method. But if this is difficult for you, help will come online calculator. This is a program on the website that will itself calculate the approximate date of your ovulation and, therefore, the estimated date of conception.

    How does the calculator work, and what is needed for it? You just need to enter the first and last date of your period. The online calculator will automatically calculate the midterm and determine the date of conception of your child.

    If you know the date of conception, an online calculator will also help determine the timing of pregnancy. The principle of its operation will be different. You need to enter the date of conception into the calculator, and it will calculate the duration of pregnancy by week. This way you will know exactly what week it is on what dates, and you will be able to watch from the descriptions how your child grows.

    When is the due date?

    Now is the time to find out your due date. The same calculator that determined the date of conception will help you calculate the date of birth. Online calculations are made based on data on the date of conception or the last menstruation. In the latter case, you will find out the due date based on the obstetric term.

    If you know exactly how many weeks you are, you can guess at what point you can expect labor to begin. This usually occurs at 38-40 weeks. Some women reach 42 weeks: such a pregnancy is not considered post-term. It should also be taken into account that an error may have occurred in determining the gestational age. An online calculator can also make mistakes, since it makes calculations based on generally established observations. In addition, you could have entered inaccurate information into it.

    Practice shows that the date of birth is the date of the start of the last menstruation, to which 9 months are added. On these dates we can expect a new addition to the family. But what to do if it is not possible to determine the period by menstruation, since the woman no longer remembers the exact date?

    HCG analysis

    If a woman does not monitor the regularity of her cycle and does not remember the date of her last menstruation, the calendar is unlikely to help here. In this case, doctors recommend doing a blood test for hCG, a hormone that allows you to determine the presence of pregnancy even in the early stages.

    HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is produced in a woman only during pregnancy with the fertilized egg. A biochemical blood test can determine its amount in the body and, based on this, determine the presence and duration of pregnancy. The most informative are the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when hCG level still high. Gradually it begins to decrease, and a blood test will no longer provide reliable data.

    Approximate size ovum, and according to it, what is the current stage of pregnancy, the doctor will be able to do when examining the vagina and during palpation.

    Why do you need to know the exact date?

    Not all women are attentive to their pregnancy and calculate the period by week. They think that calculating the gestational age is the doctor’s task in order to subsequently calculate the due date. During pregnancy, they do not think about how many weeks they are now and how the baby should develop.

    In vain, since no one can determine better than the mother herself whether the baby is comfortable inside. Dangers await a pregnant woman at every step, and it is better if she knows her due date week by week. A calculator and calendar can help with this, so you don’t have to contact your doctor every time.

    If you don't know how many weeks you are pregnant, open the calculator on the website, enter the required data, and you will get the answer. It will help you remember your doctor’s recommendations and warn yourself and your baby against possible complications. Isn’t it nice to see in photos and videos how your baby grows week by week? After all, you can only look inside with the help of an ultrasound, but this only happens three times during the entire pregnancy.

    The need to undergo screenings is another reason why a woman needs to know exact date pregnancy. Studies, including blood tests for genetics and ultrasound, are carried out within a strictly defined time frame. If you do the analysis earlier or later, you may get an inaccurate answer.

    Do not neglect calculating the gestational age by week. This will give a woman valuable material, allowing you to determine whether the baby is developing according to the norm, whether there are any deviations, and what studies still need to be completed.

    What errors are possible?

    Unfortunately, if the exact date of conception is unknown, any pregnancy calendar by week or conception calculator may be inaccurate. The baby’s development calendar is based on the data that was determined initially. What if they are incorrect?

    Unfortunately, errors cannot be avoided. According to statistics, in almost 20% of women during pregnancy, the difference between the obstetric and embryonic periods is 14 days. If a woman's cycle is long, for example, 35 days instead of 28 days, ovulation may occur only on day 21. Consequently, the difference between the obstetric term and the real one will be even greater. 1 week of embryonic period will be equal to 5 or 6 obstetric weeks.

    But there is also an error in setting the embryonic period. It lasts several days, since sperm can remain in a woman’s body for 3 days, so fertilization could occur not on the day of ovulation, but later.

    Calculating the gestational age is a painstaking task. Not always a calculator and even medical analysis can give an accurate answer. A woman should listen to her own feelings: they will help her find out by feeling what the current stage of pregnancy is, and how correctly the doctor has determined it.

    In order not to miss the fact of pregnancy and to know exactly when fertilization occurred, a woman should be attentive to the signals of her own body and conduct regular monitoring of her health. To do this, you need to keep a calendar where the start and end dates of menstruation, facts of suspicious vaginal discharge (if any) will be recorded. This will allow you to detect the onset of the disease in time and avoid consequences for yourself and the child.

    To be healthy and give birth to a healthy baby, a woman must be attentive to herself. The calculator on the website and the pregnancy calendar will help her with this!

    One day, that very special day comes for every expectant mother. She learns about her new condition. And soon a woman will often hear the question: “What is your (you) deadline?” How to calculate the gestational age in order to answer correctly?

    It's pretty simple!

    Almost always, the answer to the question about the gestational age will be based on the two most well-known and popular calculation methods - obstetric and embryonic (from conception) terms

    Obstetric term

    The beginning of pregnancy is the first day of the last menstruation. This method is called obstetric. He doesn't take into account individual characteristics a woman's body, but is almost universal. Any doctor will use it.

    The obstetric method has its own logic. The time limit is calculated from the most early stage pregnancy - the beginning of egg maturation.

    Using the obstetric method, the doctor will determine the expected date of birth (ED), as well as the period maternity leave. In medicine, it is generally accepted that pregnancy lasts 280 days. These are the well-known 40 weeks or 10 lunar months.

    Why 10 months and not 9? And why are the months lunar? Astronomy is to blame for this. The moon repeats its phases every 28 days (4 weeks). This is the lunar month. And if you count in calendar months, then they are in normal pregnancy It really only fits 9.

    Embryonic (true) period - from conception

    The beginning of pregnancy is the first day of the last menstrual period plus 2 weeks. It is believed that ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle. In this case, the average period from one period to another is taken - 28 days.

    This method of calculating the period is called embryonic or true. But it’s worth wondering: isn’t the truth hiding somewhere else? From a medical point of view, ovulation can occur within 12-18 days from the start of the cycle.

    Example. Oksana's husband constantly went on business trips from early spring to late autumn. Sometimes he was home only one or two days a month. Soon after her husband’s next visit, Oksana realized that she was pregnant. And with a smile I thought that I knew the exact date of conception - June 2. After all, before and after that day, she and her husband did not see each other for almost two weeks. Oksana had her last period on May 18-21. And if we consider May 22 as the beginning of the cycle, then conception took place on the twelfth day. And the egg was already mature. Or not?

    Another important question here is how long does ovulation last? If strictly according to science, then a few seconds. After all, ovulation is only the release of a mature egg from the follicle. But most of us consider ovulation to be the next few (or even many) hours that the egg will live in the female body. How many? Sometimes up to two days. By the way, sperm will live approximately the same amount of time in a woman’s body after sexual intercourse. And sometimes longer - up to a week.

    So the true day of conception is a real mystery! After all, there may well be two different situations. The egg moves to the uterus for the second day and, literally at the end of its life, is fertilized. Or vice versa. Sperm entered the woman’s body before ovulation and actually “waited” for the release of the egg.

    Couples who carefully planned their pregnancy know the day of conception as accurately as possible. In this case, the day of ovulation is determined using a special test (sold in a pharmacy) or ultrasound.


    There is another old method for determining ovulation. This is a basal temperature measurement. It is carried out in the morning, at the same time, before getting out of bed (it is recommended not to even open your eyes). The thermometer is placed in the mouth, vagina or rectum. Before ovulation, basal temperature drops slightly and then increases. This means the release of a mature egg.

    And sometimes women themselves feel that ovulation has occurred. The lower abdomen ache, the vaginal discharge becomes a little more viscous. And the attraction to the man you love becomes stronger.

    That is why many expectant mothers consider their pregnancy period to be the embryonic method: the beginning of the cycle plus 2 weeks or the day of ovulation known to them. In this case, we are talking about the period from conception.

    Could there be difficulties?

    Lyudmila’s periods often came literally “every once in a while.” The doctor's verdict is ovarian dysfunction. While Luda was not sexually active, she was not too worried. But after marriage, the same question often came. Is delay a manifestation of dysfunction? Or did the contraception not work? One day the second option turned out to be correct. But the doctors could not calculate the period using the usual method - there was a clear discrepancy.

    Former athlete Valeria had her first period only at the age of 16. And the cycle was not established in any way. Between critical days it could take up to six months. The girl did not go to the doctor. I somehow couldn’t find the time – either studying or personal life. One day, skinny Valeria noticed that she had clearly gained weight. The first reaction is the desire to go on a strict diet and remember previous sports activities. It’s good that the girl first consulted with her mother. More precisely, with the future grandmother of his child.

    Lena's first child just turned ten months old. The baby grew up healthy, and the nursing mother decided to eat melon on the occasion of such a big anniversary. A few hours later she felt sick. Lena thought she was poisoned. But soon the doctors clarified the situation: Lena was pregnant again. The first menstruation after childbirth simply did not have time to begin.

    How many more similar cases! If a woman’s periods are irregular or have not arrived at all, as in Lena’s situation, traditional calculations will not help. It's good that there are alternative methods.

    How else to determine the period?

    Note to moms!


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    • based on a gynecological examination;
    • using ultrasound;
    • by the first movement of the fetus;
    • according to the size of the uterus.

    In some cases, the doctor “looks after” all the signs in order to make fewer mistakes in calculating the duration.

    Gynecological examination

    An experienced gynecologist will be able to calculate the correct period based only on the size of the uterus. The doctor’s hands will accurately determine the boundaries of the uterine cavity. If the uterus is comparable in size to a chicken egg, the period is 4 weeks. And if it’s closer to a goose, then we’re talking about eight weeks.

    This method works effectively if the pregnancy is less than 12 weeks.

    Ultrasound

    Ultrasound scanning these days allows you to effectively examine the fetus and even take some measurements. In the first trimester, the doctor will determine the size of the fertilized egg and compare it with traditional data. In the second and third, the doctor will measure the circumference chest, tummy or head. The last “measure” is considered the most accurate for determining the period.

    In the first weeks of pregnancy, calculating the due date in this way gives a very accurate result. Later, future babies begin to differ greatly: some are larger, some are smaller. Just like in the life that awaits them in the future.

    The baby is pushing!

    The first movement of the fetus is another indicator. If a woman is preparing to give birth to her first child, she will feel his movements at 20 weeks. If the baby is the second, third, and so on, then the first movement is expected at 18 weeks. This is official medical data. And future children do not at all think that they must follow them!

    The fetus truly makes its first movements in the first trimester of pregnancy. But the unborn child is still so tiny that the mother does not feel anything for many weeks. But there are also exceptions.

    Inna was expecting her second child. I was already skinny, but in the first weeks I still lost weight. With a height of 167 cm - 46 kg. And this is in the second trimester! The doctor shook her head disapprovingly and was worried. And Inna felt great. There was almost no nausea, and vomiting occurred occasionally. True, I always wanted oranges, and one red “handsome” one was always in my bag. And there were no problems at all.

    The baby pushed at the seventeenth week. First once, and after a couple of hours - again. And the next day, and the day after, the woman experienced the same sensations. At the next appointment with the gynecologist, Inna named the date. The doctor shook her head once again, smiled and clarified - maybe it was gases? Inna laughed - she perfectly remembered the baby’s movements from her first pregnancy and definitely could not have been mistaken.

    True, sometimes you can still get confused. If the expectant mother regularly suffers from flatulence, and is also expecting a child for the first time, the movement of gas through the intestines is sometimes mistaken by her for the baby’s movements.

    When weeks are equal to centimeters

    And one more way, which is related to the size of the uterus. More precisely, with its height. This method is available only to doctors. A pregnant woman lies down on the couch. The doctor takes a measuring tape or a special instrument - a pelvis gauge. Determines the upper and lower boundaries of the uterine cavity and takes measurements.

    The height of the uterus in centimeters is the gestational age. That is, if the doctor measures 30 cm, then the gestational age is 30 weeks.

    These four methods (usually in combination with each other) provide the most accurate determination of gestational age.

    When will he be born?

    The expected date of birth will tell the mother when the baby will be born. But this is a theory. Children very rarely follow doctors’ calculations. True, there are exceptions here too.

    At an ultrasound at 12 weeks, Lika was diagnosed with PDR - March 10th. Lika just shrugged her shoulders slightly. She carried her first baby for exactly a week. Doctors then said that the baby probably wants to grow up. Indeed, even post-term, my son weighed only 2 kg 700 g at birth.

    Therefore, early in the morning of March 10, Lika did not even immediately realize that contractions had begun, and stubbornly tried to get a little more sleep. But it didn't work out. It soon became clear that it had begun. That’s how my daughter was born – right on time.

    Naegele's formula:

    Quite accurately, the expectant mother can calculate the MPD herself. Of course, if your periods were regular before conception.

    1. You need to add seven more days to the first day of your last menstruation, and then subtract three months.
    2. Or add 9 months and 7 days to the first day of the last menstruation.

    That's approximate date birth of the future baby!

    You can find out your PPD using a special pregnancy calendar based on your last menstrual period. In the red line we look for the date of the beginning of the last menstruation, next to it, in the yellow line, we see the date of the probable day of birth.

    For example, your last period began on January 28th. Plus seven days is February 4th. Minus three months – we get November 4th. Life will tell how it will actually be.

    The main thing is that at any stage the pregnancy should be easy.

    Note to moms!


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    Calculating the gestational age with an accuracy of one day is very difficult and is possible, perhaps, only if ovulation is specifically monitored using ultrasound. But these procedures are carried out only for the treatment of infertility. Therefore, the day of conception often remains a secret even for the couple themselves, not to mention the doctors.

    And yet, are there any calendar methods calculations of conception, is it possible to calculate the gestational age based on the menstrual cycle and the day of delay? What procedures and tests help in diagnosis and calculations? You will read about all this in the article.

    Calendar methods

    If sexual intercourse does not occur too often, then it is quite possible that a woman will remember exactly on what day that same nimble sperm entered her body, which subsequently fertilized the egg. This is also possible if a woman carefully measures her basal temperature over several cycles and knows how to use the resulting graphs with temperature values. She tells the doctor this calculated day after her pregnancy is confirmed. However, the doctor, having found out when the patient’s last period was, calls the period 2 weeks longer. How can this be and what to believe?

    The fact is that doctors believe obstetric term, and it depends only on the first day of the last menstruation. It turns out that pregnancy begins on the first day of menstruation, although this is not true, of course. But this technique The calculation turns out to be quite accurate. And using the same method, the expected date of birth is calculated: 280 days are added to the first day of the last menstruation, or 3 months are subtracted and 7 days are added (according to Naegele’s formula).

    If the day of ovulation is known exactly, then you can add more than 280 days to the first day menstrual cycle, a 264. And in this way we also find out the estimated due date. Well, you can start counting pregnancy from the day of ovulation. But again, doctors do not conduct such calculations, and these values ​​are not taken into account.

    Ultrasonography

    Ultrasound has been actively used for many years to diagnose fetal development. And with the help of ultrasound, the gestational age is determined. Particularly accurate in this regard are studies conducted in the first weeks of pregnancy (up to 8 weeks). During this period, all healthy embryos develop equally, and the gestational age according to the size of the fetus is determined exactly down to the day. The longer the period, the more mistakes there are, since children begin to show individuality in a sense - one may have a slightly larger head than it should be at a certain period, while another baby has a height slightly below his age limits. If the deviations are minor - a week or less - then doctors, as a rule, do not take them into account, and nothing needs to be treated. The estimated period is set based on measurement data of the coccygeal-parietal size. The result is obtained using a table.

    If there is a delay in development of 2 weeks or more, despite all this, there is confidence that there is no error in setting the gestational age, the doctor makes a diagnosis “ intrauterine retention fetal development." It is impossible to “cure” her. Everything that is done in the hospital has only a preventive, and not too pronounced, effect. Good food healthy image life, walks, quiet leisure - that’s what’s much more important.

    Gynecological examination

    Many women go to the gynecologist on the first day of the delay, or even earlier, in the hope that the doctor will be able to tell for sure whether they are pregnant or not. But this is impossible, unfortunately. The uterus may be slightly enlarged before menstruation. The growth of the uterus, due to the development of the fetus in it, begins noticeably from the end of the first trimester. At 5-6 weeks (that is, in the second or third week of delayed menstruation), the uterus is slightly larger than usual; the volume can be compared to a chicken egg. At 8 weeks the uterus is already the size of a goose egg, and at 10 weeks it is the size of a woman’s fist. Again, gynecological examinations The shorter it is, the more accurate it is to determine the gestational age.

    Date of first movement

    All gynecologists inspire their patients, expectant mothers, that they must remember the day when they first felt the baby inside them, that is, they felt his movements. It is believed that in pregnant women for the first time this occurs at exactly 20 weeks of pregnancy, and in pregnant women again - at exactly 18 weeks. This date must be included in the pregnant woman’s dispensary card and taken into account when determining the expected date of birth. Although, if you believe the statements of many expectant mothers, the timing of the first movements does not always coincide with the “book” ones. I would also like to reassure a little hyper-responsible expectant mothers who are afraid that they will not notice the first movements, thereby confusing the doctor when setting the date of birth, which can lead to post-term pregnancy. Firstly, postmaturity is diagnosed based on the results of Doppler ultrasound and some ultrasound indicators (maturity of the placenta, volume amniotic fluid etc.). And secondly, the first movements are indeed very light, but quite noticeable. It is impossible not to notice movement if you are in a horizontal position, especially on your back.

    Uterus length

    From approximately the second trimester of pregnancy, and sometimes earlier, gynecologists evaluate fetal development based on the length of the uterus. It is measured with a measuring tape, the expectant mother lies on the couch. Every week it adds about 1 centimeter. There is another measurement method; many doctors use the corresponding tablets, and they can also be found in manuals on obstetrics and gynecology.

    12 weeks - uterus at the upper edge of the womb

    14 weeks - the uterus is two fingers higher than the womb

    16 weeks - the fundus of the uterus is felt between the navel and womb

    20 weeks - the fundus of the uterus is two fingers below the navel

    24 weeks - uterus at navel level

    28 weeks - the fundus of the uterus is 2 fingers above the navel

    32 weeks - between the navel and the xiphoid process (the shortest part of the sternum), length 28-30 cm

    36 weeks - the fundus of the uterus is at the level of the xiphoid process, “supports” the ribs, length 32-34 cm

    40 weeks - before birth, the uterus drops to the level of 32 weeks, as the baby’s head (or other presenting part of the fetus) moves lower into the pelvis and prepares for release.

    In addition to the length of the uterus, the volume of the abdomen is also taken into account, but these dimensions are more variable, do not always show the true state of affairs and help calculate the gestational age by week. Abdominal volume is measured at the level of the navel. So, in a woman with normal weight before and during pregnancy, the abdominal volume at 32 weeks will be approximately equal to 85 centimeters, and by the end of pregnancy it will reach 90-100 cm. This increase is associated with speed dial child's weight.

    The length of the uterus not only helps to ensure normal development fetus, gestational age, but also to detect in time such pathologies as polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios and others.

    Heart sounds

    The baby’s heart begins to beat already at 4.5 weeks, that is, 2-3 weeks after the start of a woman’s delayed menstruation. Heartbeats are visible on ultrasound, and this is the main sign that the embryo is alive and developing. Later, the doctor begins to hear the heartbeat through the outer wall of the uterus. But you can only hear heart sounds not at 10-12 weeks, but later - at about the same time as you feel the first movements. The heartbeat is heard using an obstetric stethoscope - a special tube that the doctor places on the patient’s stomach. The heartbeat can be heard poorly for several reasons. The most “harmless” of them are the placenta, which is located on the anterior wall of the uterus, and thereby muffles the sound, and significant deposits of fat on the abdominal wall. More serious - polyhydramnios, chronic hypoxia. The longer the period, the more clearly the heart rhythms can be heard.

    Human chorionic gonadotropin level

    This method of determining the duration of pregnancy is usually used in the first weeks. But it does not always give an accurate result. A blood test is taken from a vein.

    Approximate hCG values ​​for the first weeks of pregnancy:

    • 2 - 25-300 honey/ml
    • 3- 1500-5000 mU/ml
    • 4 - 10000 - 30000 mU/ml
    • 5 - 20000 - 100000 mU/ml

    As you can see, the values ​​can vary greatly, so errors in the calculations are possible. This analysis is ideally used not to calculate deadlines, but to early diagnosis pregnancy and its possible pathologies.

    We have given the main ways to correctly calculate the duration of pregnancy. Some of them you can try on your own, others require medical intervention and some procedures.

    This calendar is based on real time pregnancy, that is, from conception. The obstetric deadline, the one set by gynecologists, is 2 weeks ahead of the real one. Take this into account.

    In the first week of pregnancy, the fusion of the egg and sperm occurs, a zygote is formed, from which the chorion (placenta) and embryo ( unborn child). At conception, the sex of the baby is determined.

    The second week of a baby’s life is marked by the fact that the zygote finds a place in the woman’s body where it will develop. Implanted into the wall of the uterus or other organ (then it occurs ectopic pregnancy). Chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is determined in a woman’s urine and blood.

    In the third week, pregnancy tests “strip” and the woman begins to experience delayed menstruation and toxicosis. On an ultrasound, most likely, the fertilized egg will not be seen yet, it is too small. But signs of pregnancy are already appearing. And a very tiny embryo begins its development. His body and head are clearly defined.

    At the 4th week, the length of the embryo is 2-4 mm, and the fertilized egg is about 1 cm or a little more. They are clearly visible on good ultrasound equipment. If everything is normal, the fertilized egg has an even shape. If there is a detachment of the ovum, the doctor poses a threat spontaneous miscarriage. Most often, pregnancies are terminated at this stage due to severe chromosomal abnormalities fetus

    In the fifth week, the fetal heart begins to beat, and it is its beats that are the main evidence that the pregnancy is developing. It's time to register with a gynecologist and be sure to read the calendar by week of pregnancy.


    At 6 weeks, the embryo weighs about 5 grams and is about 20 mm long. It grows a millimeter per day. Almost all of his organs are formed. There are even convolutions in the brain. And facial features become more and more distinct.

    At 7 weeks doctors stop calling little man embryo. Now he is a fruit. And it will remain so until the birth. The baby is very mobile in the uterus, moving with all his might, surrounded by amniotic fluid, but the mother does not yet feel his movements. The fruit is still very small.

    At 8 weeks, the baby's size can be compared to a prune. It’s still a baby, but the body is already formed. There are even tiny nails on my hands. In the future, all organs and systems will only improve.
    Nine weeks is the one minimum term, in which the doctor can see the so-called genital tubercle in the fetus and guess its gender. The accuracy of this “prediction” depends on the experience of the doctor and the quality of the equipment used.

    Next week marks the first screening - ultrasound plus blood test. The baby has grown so much that the doctor can accurately diagnose possible chromosomal abnormalities in him.

    Week 11 is the last week in which the screening will be informative. Don't forget to pass! The baby is growing rapidly. Blood began to form on him, and colorless vellus hairs appeared on his head.

    With a two-dimensional ultrasound at twelve weeks, the baby now looks more like a small humanoid, but with a three-dimensional ultrasound, facial features are visible. True, there is not enough fatty tissue yet, and the baby’s face looks very thin. The first ones appear innate reflexes and facial expressions.

    All 9 months of pregnancy in 4 minutes.

    2013-06-05T00:00:00

    Next week, some mothers begin to feel the first movements of their babies. These are mainly women who are not carrying their first baby. The height of the children reaches 10 centimeters and their weight is 50 grams.

    At 14 weeks, the gender of the baby is clearly visible on an ultrasound. There shouldn't be any mistakes. However, sometimes it cannot be determined if the baby is in an uncomfortable position. Babies at this gestational age begin to make breathing movements and squint if a bright light source is pointed at their mother’s belly.

    By the fifteenth week, mommy’s pregnant belly begins to appear. You have to buy clothes for expectant mothers or those that fit your rounded belly.
    By this time, the placenta is fully formed, protects the fetus from infections and serves as a transmitter of nutrition and oxygen from the mother’s body.

    16 weeks is a special period in the development of a child, since the thymus gland is formed - this is a temporary organ that gradually, over the course of 30 years of life, disappears in all people. In addition, the brain is actively developing, and the bones begin to accumulate calcium.

    At seventeen weeks, some mothers will notice that their shoes are too small or narrow for them. This occurs due to swelling of the legs. Temporary phenomenon.
    The fetus develops the rudiments of molar teeth. He already has tactile sensations, touch. That's why he loves to feel his body.


    18 weeks is the ideal time for a second ultrasound screening. The baby is already big and most of the markers of chromosomal abnormalities are visible. Almost all women already feel fetal movements and it is at this stage, on an ultrasound, that they find out who they are expecting - a boy or a girl. The approximate height of the fetus is 20 cm, and its weight is close to 400 grams.

    The baby is becoming more and more like normal newborn, however, very small and thin. At nineteen weeks, he already swallows amniotic fluid and pees in it. Spinning in the uterus with might and main. Can change the head position to a transverse or pelvic position daily. At this stage, doctors do not pay attention to the presentation of the fetus.

    Twenty weeks of gestation are marked by an improvement in the child's hearing. He quite clearly, as far as possible, hears the beating of his mother’s heart and her voice. You can understand how a child hears if you completely lower your head into the water and ask someone to say something. This is how he hears through the amniotic fluid. Also, this is the period when the fetus reaches a weight of 500 grams, and if it is born now, doctors will be obliged to fight for its life.

    By the 21st week of pregnancy, the fetal heartbeat can be easily heard using a special wooden tube - an obstetric stethoscope. The baby continues to grow. Fat is deposited around his organs. This is necessary for their normal functioning after birth.

    At 22 weeks, the weight of the fetus is about 700 grams and its height is 22 cm. The intrauterine daily routine is formed. Usually the baby at this stage sleeps during the day, involuntarily rocked to sleep by his mother, and is awake at night.

    By twenty-three weeks, the baby's hearing is so improved that he can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar voices. The vocal cords are formed and subcutaneous fat is deposited. If you now do a three-dimensional ultrasound, you can clearly see the child’s face and understand which parent he looks more like.


    At 24 weeks, the baby can distinguish between light and dark and reacts to flashes of light. But the eyes are still devoid of pigment. It will appear in about a month. But the final color of the eyes will be formed only 4-6 months after birth.

    At 25 weeks, the weight of the fetus approaches one kilogram, and the height is about 40 cm. In the future, the baby will not grow as actively in length; at birth, full-term babies have average height 50-55 cm, but will gain at least another 1.5-2 kg in weight.

    At the 26th week of pregnancy, the fetal hair acquires an individual shade; it is no longer snow-white. The lungs are actively developing, but if the baby is born now without drug preparation(dexamethasone injections to my mother), then he will be able to breathe only on a ventilator.

    At twenty-seven weeks, the fetus occupies the entire uterine cavity, so it is less likely to turn upside down and back again. However, it is too early to worry about his presentation. By the way, a doctor can easily determine the position of the fetus at this stage by palpating the pregnant woman’s abdomen on the couch.

    If you do an ultrasound at the twenty-eighth gestational week, then mommy will be able to see her baby sucking his thumb! This habit will remain with him even after birth. The sucking reflex is very important for the first months of a child's life. And the fetus has learned to cry, and sometimes real tears flow from its eyes!


    At 29 weeks, the weight of the fetus is approximately 1.5 kg and the height is about 45 cm. No special development of organs occurs. Essentially only the lungs develop. They produce surfactant - a substance that will prevent them from sticking together after birth.

    Thirty weeks is the ideal period for undergoing a mandatory third ultrasound. The doctor looks at how and exactly how much the child is developed, whether the utero-fetal blood flow is in order, and whether there is enough amniotic fluid. And also, puts approximate weight fetus Depending on these data, we can assume whether there is a tendency to give birth to a large child.

    At 31 weeks, the fetus is so developed that it can see and hear well. True, in utero its eyes are almost always closed, since keeping them open in water is not very comfortable. In boys, the testicles have descended into the scrotum. And the appearance of the girls’ genitals became common - the labia majora covered the labia minora.

    Next week the fetus experiences a growth spurt immune system. She actively produces antibodies. The adrenal glands, which produce steroid hormones, also function.

    At 33 weeks the baby weighs about 2400 grams, almost like a full-term baby. And, most likely, she will be able to breathe on her own if she is born at this time. Nevertheless, he is still immature, and mommy should try to “hold out” for at least another 3 weeks.

    Next week is the beginning last month pregnancy, eighth. The weight of the fetus is approximately 2700 grams, and some babies have already gained 3 kilograms. The bones on the baby's head are movable to make it easier for him to be born. Almost all the children lay down with their heads down. But even if the baby at this stage is in breech, there is still hope for its revolution, if there is not too little amniotic fluid.


    35 weeks - at this period some babies are born. But even though they are officially eight months old, born ahead of schedule, in almost one hundred percent of cases they do not require rehabilitation and are not in the children's department or intensive care unit after birth, but in the ward with their mothers.

    39 weeks. More often these are those who ovulated a little later than the standard 12-14 days of the cycle. At the same time, children are born completely normal weight. If the ultrasound shows that the fetus is feeling well, is actively moving, and the woman’s cervix is ​​not “oaky,” she is admitted to the hospital and waits for labor to begin on its own.

    40 weeks of pregnancy from conception or 42 obstetric, the last one that doctors can give while waiting for the onset of labor. But more often this week they are stimulated.

    Interactive pregnancy calendar

    In order for the program to create your personal pregnancy calendar, enter the date of the first day of your last menstruation. All obstetricians and gynecologists accurately calculate the gestational age in this way.

    This way you can figure out what to expect in a given week of pregnancy. It is very interesting. Try it!

    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. These are medical studies, calendar methods, gynecological examinations... Let's figure out what they are existing species determining the deadline 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 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 consider pregnancy, it is better for the expectant mother to direct all her 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. Future mom I should just enjoy my current situation, rest more and remember that a child is only happy when his mother is happy.

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