In the life of every woman, definitely the most exciting moment is the birth of a child. The period of pregnancy is a special time when the expectant mother feels everything in a new, different way. During this period, she involuntarily forces others to constantly attract attention, she is especially beautiful, harmonious. And of course, she is worried not only about how to maintain and maintain the health of a baby that has not yet been born, but also how to calculate the date of birth.
Since ancient years, people have been engaged in calculating the date of the alleged birth and the gender of the child to pregnant women. Almost all nations tried to calculate the date of birth by monthly. But each nation had its own ways. Someone counted according to the lunar calendar, someone deduced various formulas, and some simply trusted in signs, watching a pregnant woman.
But progress has progressed significantly, and in the modern world, you can easily calculate the date of birth and the gender of the baby without resorting to outdated methods. And the most accurate and reliable method is ultrasound (ultrasound).
How do ultrasound tests for pregnant women?
Ultrasound is a completely safe procedure for both women and children, moreover, thanks to this procedure, it is possible to identify malformations and pathologies in the early stages.
Two sensors are connected to a special device - abdominal and vaginal.
A vaginal probe is inserted into the vagina using a special condom for ultrasound, this allows you to very accurately determine the location of the fetal egg in the uterus or its absence (for example, if there is a suspicion of an ectopic pregnancy or the threat of miscarriage). Such a sensor is used only in the first three months (up to 13 weeks).
An abdominal sensor is taken over the skin, in this case, over the pregnant belly. Previously, a special gel is applied to the patient’s skin and to the sensor itself so that the air does not interfere with the image of the monitor.
Using ultrasonic waves on the screen, the doctor sees the body of the child, takes measurements of the arms, legs, head and other parts. Even the baby’s internal organs are clearly visible on the device.
There are certain standards for the development of the fetus, relying on them, the uzist makes conclusions and establishes the correct gestational age.
How do ultrasound doctors calculate the expected date of birth of a child?
By setting the gestational age in weeks and knowing the date of the last menstruation, the doctor can calculate the date of birth. The woman calls the first day of the cycle, which was the last time (the first day when the menstruation began), the doctor enters the date into the program installed on the ultrasound machine, and the program itself gives a certain date when the baby should appear.
Often the date set by doctors does not coincide with the actual date of birth. There is nothing wrong with this, because the child decides when to be born to him and sends an impulse to the brain, and the brain, in turn, to the woman’s nervous system. The only exceptions are cases in which the pregnant woman had some kind of pathology, as a result of which the child was born prematurely.
In any case, during pregnancy, it is possible to calculate the date of birth and the sex of the baby on an ultrasound only after the 12th week. Parts of the body and internal organs of the fetus can be carefully examined only at this time, and without measuring the organs, the appropriate gestational age cannot be established. Only after having completed all the necessary studies, the uzist doctor can tell you exactly how long the fetus is, and thanks to these data, calculate the date of birth.
Is it possible to see the sex of the fetus on an ultrasound in the earliest possible time?
No you can not. Even the most experienced, highly qualified ultrasound specialist will not be able to accurately say who is in the womb - a boy or a girl. Until the fetus reaches development in 10 weeks, it will not be possible to discern the sex, since until that time the embryos are almost no different from each other and have no clear sexual characteristics.
The development of the child’s genitals in the womb begins after his body begins to produce hormones. The production of hormones usually occurs for a period of 8 weeks. However, on the 9th week, the sex of the child is already laid, since the connection of male and female cells produces a certain set of chromosomes, which suggests one or another gender of the fetus.
The genitals complete the formation at about 12 weeks, sometimes a little later at 14.
How to find out the sex of the fetus without ultrasound?
Experienced obstetricians and gynecologists often guess the sex of the child in the womb according to the heart rate.
With the help of a special wooden tube - a stethoscope - the doctor listens to the heartbeat of the fetus. The doctor puts one end of the tube to his ear, and the other to the woman’s stomach. If the heart rate is about 140 or less, the girl is most likely in the tummy. But if the heartbeat totals more than 140 beats per minute, then, probably, the woman is waiting for the boy. Obstetricians also listen to the rhythm and nature of the heartbeat. A clear, measured and loud sound indicates a male fetus. An unstable, unstable heartbeat indicates the presence of a girl in the womb.
Nevertheless, many obstetricians do not share this opinion. They believe that the heartbeat primarily depends on the activity of the child, individual characteristics, time of day, the health of the mother, and the tone of the uterus.
It is possible to determine the sex of the fetus using tests. In case of serious pathologies or suspicion of them, a pregnant woman is offered to undergo a procedure for taking amniotic fluid through the placenta - amniocentesis. This procedure is not entirely safe, since in rare cases it can provoke a miscarriage, and therefore a woman decides on the need for this procedure on her own, she has the right to refuse to perform it.
Also, cordocentesis (blood sampling from the umbilical cord) and chorionic biopsy (sampling of chorionic villi) are related to a similar type of procedure with the possibility of determining sex. Such tests are prescribed only in exceptional cases, they are not safe and do not apply to widely available methods for determining sex.
How do gynecologists calculate the date of birth?
Gynecologists and obstetricians most often use one method. With the help of a calendar, they count exactly 40 weeks (or about 280 days) from the day when the last menstruation was. The deadline set in this way is called obstetric. The obstetric gestation period is considered the most faithful; it is used in the preparation of certificates, manuals and other documents. Although the birth dates prescribed by gynecologists are correct only in 20% of cases.
Obstetricians use another method, trying to calculate the date of birth during pregnancy, is the measurement of uterine volume (bottom height). Thanks to this method, the gynecologist can determine the approximate period in weeks at the very first appointment. Since the uterus increases according to the gestational age, it’s easy for the doctor to determine which week the woman is in. Certain parameters of the height of the uterus correspond to certain dates. To make a mistake in this case is almost impossible. And yet, this method is advisable to apply only up to three months, that is, up to 12 weeks.
How to calculate the estimated date of birth, knowing the date of conception?
In order to calculate the date of birth in this case, you need to know the date of conception directly. But given the fact that sperm have the ability to maintain viability in a woman’s vagina for 3-5 days, this calculation will not be perfectly accurate, since it is impossible to say with certainty which of these five days the conception occurred. If a woman knows the date of conception, 40 weeks are added to her, the received date is considered the date of birth. This term is called embryonic, where the starting point is the day of fertilization.
How to find out the approximate date of conception?
The most accurate way to calculate the date of conception for childbirth is possible after the birth itself - usually obstetricians determine the gestational age by the state of the placenta and umbilical cord. The experienced eye of health workers allows you to most accurately calculate the gestational age in the weeks at which the birth took place. The number of weeks is deducted directly from the date of birth and the date of conception is obtained.
Calculating your expected delivery date using the Internet
In the early stages, you can only guess the gender or use various tables and calculations, which are full of Internet.
Many sites have free online calculators that allow you to calculate the date of delivery for the last monthly. Also, like such calculators, there are online applications for smartphones that can be downloaded. In addition to the calculator, such applications often also contain useful information, for example, features of the development of the embryo by weeks, dangerous symptoms for the expectant mother, and the contractions counter.
These calculators have a standard formula that helps you calculate the date of birth by week of pregnancy. For the calculation, the start date of the last cycle is entered into the calculator (the first day when the menstruation began), the program calculates and displays the approximate date of delivery.
How to determine the date of birth, knowing the date of ovulation?
Calculate the date of birth by menstruation is possible at the onset of ovulation. Ovulation means that the egg has left the ovary and is ready for fertilization. It is after ovulation within 5 days that conception occurs. On average, ovulation occurs on the 12-17th day from the beginning of the cycle.
But some women have “non-standard” ovulation, which occurs at the beginning or end of the cycle. Also, not every woman is stable in the menstrual cycle, and then it is almost impossible to calculate ovulation in a calendar way. But you can watch the body. It is necessary to constantly measure body temperature, several times a day. On the day of ovulation, body temperature will be highest. An increase in sexual desire, an increase in secretions from the genitals, and their increased viscosity can also indicate ovulation.
For more accurate calculations, you can buy an ovulation test in a pharmacy. 280 days (at least 266) or 40 weeks (or 36-38) are also added to the date of ovulation. The identified date can be considered the date of delivery.
Alternative methods for determining the sex of the child and the date of birth
Some rely on signs and observations (eating habits and the state of appearance of the expectant mother, especially the course of pregnancy, etc.).
It is believed that if the pregnant belly is high, raised or positioned so that looking from behind, you can understand that the woman is in position, which means she is wearing a girl. If the abdomen is low, but stretched forward and from the back the woman does not look pregnant, then in the womb a boy.
Some believe that if a pregnant woman has a right breast slightly larger than her left, she will give birth to a boy. And if on the contrary - a girl.
Many people notice that if a woman is waiting for a boy, then during pregnancy she “blossoms” and becomes especially attractive. And if a girl is waiting, then, on the contrary, beauty does not shine. This is explained by the fact that the girl takes away her beauty from her mother.
Once upon a time, people believed in such a sign that if a woman in a position fainted at the seventh month of pregnancy, then she was expecting a boy.
In recent months of expectation, you can calculate the date of birth by week of pregnancy using physiology. In many women in the position, the mucous plug begins to separate 1-2 weeks before giving birth. Given that the cork leaves no earlier than 2 weeks, you can easily calculate the approximate date. By the day the cork starts to recede, you need to add 2 weeks. A woman, of course, can give birth before, but rejection of the cork is a sure "bell" of early birth.
The female body has a very interesting structure, because there are such cases when a pregnant woman’s mucous tube begins to separate always for a certain number of days before giving birth (for example, always for 10 days), and it doesn’t matter if it’s the first or third birth. Thanks to this, future mothers accurately calculate the days of the appearance of their children. But for some, the cork does not depart until the very birth.
Fancy ways
Calculate the date of birth and gender of the baby is possible using various tables, formulas.
The Japanese table offers a calculation option consisting of two tables. By the date of birth of the parents and the month of conception, the tables give the number and percentage of the probability of the appearance of a child of one gender or another. The ancient Japanese compiled their own special tables using the influence of the moon. We can say that this method is astrological.
A very popular method is to update the blood of dad and mom. It is believed that male blood updates 1 time in 4 years, and in women - 1 time in 3 years. The day of updating is usually considered a birthday. Also considered to be an update are cases associated with large blood loss: childbirth, abortion, miscarriage, surgery, blood transfusion, donation of blood. By the time of conception, you need to see whose blood was "younger", fresher. If dad’s blood was fresh, a boy will be born. If mother’s blood turned out to be more “young”, a girl will be born.
There is a Chinese table to help determine the gender of the baby. Scientific institutions in China assure that the reliability of this table is 95%! The table is based on various figures corresponding to the age of the expectant mother and the months in which the conception took place. At the intersection of the two data is the answer - M or D, which means a boy or a girl.