Every woman, when she finds out about the onset of pregnancy, wants to know the exact date of birth as soon as possible. For this, it is very important to know, as accurately as possible, at what period it is already located. The attending gynecologist also needs to know the gestational age in order to monitor all stages of the fetal development and promptly identify any abnormalities, if any.
Gynecologist determines for several indicators. Firstly, this is the date of the last menstruation, the so-called "obstetric" method. Secondly, ultrasound scores.
But how to calculate your pregnancy calendar yourself? Any woman can do this at home. For this, there are several values at once: the date of the last menstruation, the date of conception, the first movement of the fetus and an online calculator.
Determination of gestational age by date of last menstruation
This method of calculating the gestational age is considered universally recognized and the simplest. In order to independently determine the duration of your pregnancy, you need to calculate the number of weeks between the first day of the last menstruation and the date of the direct calculation. The number of weeks received will be the gestational age.
By the last monthly, by the way, it’s easy . For this, it is necessary to subtract three months from the first day of menstruation and add seven days. This method is called in gynecology the Hegel formula.
The calculation of the gestational age with this method is quite simple, but it is not very accurate. All dates resulting from this are not defined. Typically, this method produces a couple of weeks less than true.
Determination of gestational age by date of conception
The second way to determine your pregnancy requires accurate knowledge of the date of ovulation in a woman. Because conception occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle when a mature egg leaves the ovary. Within a day after this, conception may occur. The accuracy of this method of calculating pregnancy is determined by the regular cycle of menstruation. With an irregular cycle, this method is generally not suitable, since it is extremely difficult to calculate the date of ovulation.
The egg release time can be determined using special gynecological tests, which are sold in pharmacies, according to the results of an ultrasound scan or at home at basal temperature.
There are women who can easily determine ovulation by well-being. On this day, they may experience weakness, mild nausea, soreness in the lower abdomen, abundant vaginal discharge and increased libido.
If it is impossible to determine the exact date of ovulation, it will be impossible to determine the gestational age with an accuracy of up to a week.
Determination of gestational age by the first stir of the fetus
At the twentieth week, a woman can feel the movements of her child. In the case of a second pregnancy, movements begin as early as the eighteenth week.
Here, as soon as movement was felt inside, you can count twenty weeks (in the case of a second pregnancy, twenty-two weeks are counted) and it is enough to accurately determine the date of birth.
There is one “but” in this method of calculus. After all, the baby is still very small, and therefore the strength of his stirring is not always so bright and noticeable. Some mothers simply do not notice the weak shocks of their child, but there are those who begin to feel them much earlier. Therefore, this calculation may be with an error of one week.
Determining gestational age using the online calculator
Using the Internet, you can also calculate the duration of your pregnancy. There is a website with a so-called online calculator designed specifically for this. The basis of its action is the calculation method for the last menstruation. To use such a calculator you need to remember the date of your last menstruation, as well as know the average duration of the cycle and luteal phase. The calculator gives an answer almost immediately after entering this data.
As a conclusion, we can say that none of the above is a hundred percent method of calculating the pregnancy calendar. But nevertheless, under certain conditions, many women quite accurately determine their term and calculate the date of birth. But, do not worry if you do not know and do not remember the dates of your last menstruation and ovulation. A doctor can always give you an answer to these questions more accurately.
According to the materials of the social network for parents Mamapedia.com.ua