There are different ways to determine how many weeks a pregnancy is developing. This article will show you how to calculate your pregnancy by the date of conception.
How is the calculation done?
In order for conception to occur, an egg and a sperm cell are needed - their fusion is called fertilization. This moment is considered the real beginning of pregnancy. Doctors call the determination of the gestational age from the date of conception the most accurate, putting an important meaning in this concept.
In order for conception to take place, quite a few different conditions must coincide. For this, the egg must be mature and leave the ovary, while the sperm must be active and capable of fertilization. The possibility of conception is also influenced by the female hormonal background, the general condition of the body and many different factors.
After the fusion of the germ cells, their active division occurs. This contributes to the fact that in a few days a small embryo will form, which will "live" in the uterus for up to forty weeks. From the moment of conception, the intrauterine age can also be determined - it will be equal to the gestational age, which is counted from the date of conception.
Pregnancy can be calculated in different ways. Even the terminology used in setting the deadline is different. So, most women determine the gestational age in months, while doctors use a different measurement system - weeks. Both options can be applied in practice. The main thing is that the calculation is correct.
A typical pregnancy lasts 38 to 40 weeks. During this time, development takes place from a tiny embryo only a few millimeters in size to a real person.
In cases where it is impossible to determine the exact date of conception and sexual intercourse, doctors use the date of the last menstrual period. From this period, doctors begin to determine the obstetric gestational age. It is measured in weeks. It is the obstetric term that is reflected in the medical card of every pregnant woman, and the approach of childbirth is also determined by this indicator.
From the moment when conception occurred, the embryonic life of the fetus is calculated. At the same time, doctors continue to use the obstetric term, which differs from the embryonic one, as a rule, by a couple of weeks. This difference in measurements is always confusing.
In order not to get confused, it is worth choosing one option for counting. In this case, the conversation with the doctor regarding the duration of pregnancy will take place "in the same language."
When a pregnant woman contacts an antenatal clinic, the obstetrician-gynecologist will certainly ask her a number of questions that will allow him to more accurately calculate the gestational age. So, the doctor will ask when the last menstruation was, what is the estimated date of conception (the last unprotected intercourse), and also specify the average duration of the cycle. All these indicators will help the specialist to calculate the duration of pregnancy, as well as the expected date of future birth.
It is important to note that all of these calculations are indicative. They are necessary for the doctor in order to track changes in the development of the fetus and monitor the course of a particular pregnancy.
Ways to determine the term
You can determine the gestational age by the date of conception on your own or using an online calculator. The first method is suitable for women who love calculations and math. The online calculator will appeal to women who have difficulty and problems with mathematical operations. The interactive calculator will do everything on its own.
Determine the gestational age yourself
To begin with, you should remember exactly the day on which unprotected intercourse occurred. It is very important not to guess, but to remember exactly. If there were several sexual acts and on different days, then you should not use this method of determining the gestational age. The result obtained in this case, in any case, will not be reliable, but only indicative.
If the exact date of unprotected intercourse is known, you should proceed to the second stage, that is, begin to carry out calculations. The first day of pregnancy is the immediate day of conception. All subsequent days are counted from him.
Calculating pregnancy in days is a pointless task. It is best to add days into weeks.
If it is convenient to use the monthly system, then it can also be used. Thus, 28 days from the moment of conception of the baby is 4 weeks. At the same time, we note once again that such a period is called embryonic.
It is also possible to accurately determine the date of conception when carrying out the method of in vitro fertilization. With IVF, the date of fertilization of the egg must be recorded in the medical documentation. Counting the gestational age in this case is quite simple. Also, from the date of conception, you can calculate the estimated date of the upcoming birth.
We use an interactive calculator
Not all moms-to-be love math and counting. In order to make life easier for them, various online calculators have been invented - with their help, you can easily and simply calculate the estimated duration of pregnancy. This does not require entering any personal data - you just need to keep the date of the last menstruation and the date of unprotected intercourse.
With the help of such an interactive assistant, any expectant mother can easily calculate the week of pregnancy. The calculator uses the above calendar method for calculating the term. The automatic counting is quite accurate. After a few seconds, a result will appear on the monitor screen about which week of pregnancy is now.
Benefits
The method for determining the gestational age by the date of conception has been used for a long time. According to statistics, the vast majority of pregnant women use it. Such popularity of the method is largely due to its availability and simplicity. To calculate the gestational age, you do not need to buy something additionally or resort to modern diagnostic methods. You can determine the gestational age by the date of conception in a comfortable environment without leaving your own apartment.
In order to count, you need a minimum of additional things. To do this, you only need a regular calendar in which the dates of all menstruation are marked. It is not necessary to dwell on the fact that such a calendar should be kept by every woman of reproductive age. In addition to the beginning of menstruation, unprotected intercourse can also be marked in such a calendar. In the future, this will help to remember when conception could have occurred.
It is quite easy to use this method for women who have an irregular sex life. In this case, the date of sexual intercourse, which caused the pregnancy, is quite simple to determine. If after the last menstruation there was only a single intercourse, then it is he who will be taken into account.
It is important to note that the exact date of conception allows you to determine the gestational age quite accurately. In this case, the possible inaccuracy, as a rule, is 3-4 days. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
So, if a woman knows exactly the date of unprotected intercourse, which caused pregnancy, then the countdown of the gestation period is calculated from her. In this case, an error of 3-4 days appears due to the fact that spermatozoa can remain viable for some time in the female genital tract. On average, they last about 72 hours.
Also, the egg cell can remain ready for fertilization for several days. Thus, it turns out that the total error in establishing the exact duration of pregnancy with such a calculation is 3-4 days.
Possible inaccuracies and errors
It is more difficult for a woman who has a regular sex life to use this method. In this case, it can be quite difficult to establish a specific sexual intercourse after which a pregnancy occurred. Very often this situation occurs in couples who really want to become parents and have an active sex life.
In this case, the accuracy of determining the gestational age precisely by the date of conception is a rather difficult task. You should not use the described method for determining the duration of pregnancy by the date of conception in such a situation. It is better to find out the term using other methods.
In this case, as a rule, the obstetric gestational age is calculated from the last past menstruation. Determining the exact duration of pregnancy is very helpful in the future when making a prognosis and establishing the date of the upcoming birth. This date is also necessarily calculated by obstetricians-gynecologists and recorded in medical records.
It is possible to determine the gestational age in case of impossible determination of the exact date of conception using modern ultrasound techniques. An ultrasound specialist, conducting a study, will quite accurately determine the estimated intrauterine age of the embryo. Such a study is prescribed, as a rule, after a clinical examination by a doctor.
For information on how to calculate the gestational age in weeks, and calculate the due date from the last menstrual period, see the next video.
